Entanglements
by fyd818
Summary: Art sometimes imitates life, but not even best-selling novelist Uchiha Sasuke could have written a page-turning, plot-twisting story like the one he'd just stumbled into. :Sasuke x Hinata:
1. Change

Disclaimer: I don't own _Naruto_, nor any places, characters, things, or ideas therein. The aforementioned belong to Masashi Kishimoto, Shounen Jump, TV Tokyo, Viz Media, etc. I am writing this story for entertainment purposes _only_, not monetary gain.

Summary: Art sometimes imitates life, but not even best-selling novelist Uchiha Sasuke could have written a page-turning, plot-twisting story like the one he'd just stumbled into. :Sasuke x Hinata:

Rating: T

Warnings: Violence, scary situations, and romantic situations.

Pairing(s): mainly Sasuke/Hinata, with sides of Neji/Tenten, Minato/Kushina, Itachi/Temari, and Konohamaru/Hanabi

Spoilers: None

Universe: Alternate

**Dedication:** To _Mama Jo_ - mother, best friend, co-writer, beta, fellow _Naruto_ fan, and partner in all things fun and slightly crazy. May this birthday be one of your best!

**Author's Note:** And so I begin yet another fanfiction journey. _Entanglements_ is a fun foray into the life of Sasuke and Hinata as two fairly ordinary people who are caught up in some of the most extraordinary of circumstances. It's another fun AU - I won't say there won't be times where it'll get serious, because there will be those times. But for the most part, this is meant to be a fun story to take us all on a ride down the road of friendship, family, and true love which conquers all. I hope you all enjoy this first chapter, and thanks for giving this fic a try!

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><p><strong>*~Entanglements~*<strong>

_.:fyd818:._

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><p><strong>*~Chapter I~*<strong>

_~Change~_

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><p><em>She raised the knife, dripping bright ropes of crimson red blood, and grinned madly at her prey. "Checkmate."<em>

Pushing away from his desk with a feeling of deep satisfaction, Uchiha Sasuke pulled off his black-rimmed glasses with one hand as he reached for his phone with the other. Dialing the familiar number - one of only a few saved to his phone's memory - he waited for the call to be answered before saying with a grin, "It's done."

"What?!" The exclamation on the other end made Sasuke briefly pull the phone away from his ear as Jiraiya, his literary agent for the past five years since his original agent unexpectedly passed away, continued shouting exuberantly down the line. As soon as the big white-haired man lowered his voice, Sasuke put the phone back to his ear in time to hear, "It's not in my e-mail yet!"

"Give me just a second. I literally _just_ typed 'The End' five seconds ago." After attaching the correct file to the e-mail, Sasuke quickly typed in his agent's e-mail address, a subject, and _Here you go_ in the body before sending it. "All right. It should be there in a second."

He heard Jiraiya impatiently drumming his fingers against the desk, then another excited shout. "It's here! I'll call you back after I finish it, okay?" Without waiting for a response, he hung up.

Long-used to his agent's abrupt ending of phone calls, Sasuke meticulously backed up his work onto both a thumb drive and a portable hard drive before shutting down his computer. Leaning back in his chair, he stretched and rolled his stiff neck a couple of times before going to his wall safe and placing both drives safely in its confines.

Two years ago, a fan had tried to break into Sasuke's house to read the manuscript of his newest work. He didn't get far at all. In addition, Sasuke's computer had been nearly hacked over seven hundred times. Thankfully, Sasuke had a state of the art security system for his home (including a one-hundred-pound black German shepherd named Ninja) and a custom-designed program to protect his computer (courtesy of his genius friend Shikamaru).

Sasuke flipped off the light in his office and closed the door behind him, glancing up at the clock hanging at the end of the hall as he did so. _Wow. Almost midnight. Jiraiya must've been camped out at his computer waiting. I told him it was possible I wouldn't get it done tonight, though..._

Shaking his head, he made his way through his house to the kitchen. Ninja lifted his head from his paws and pricked his ears, staring pointedly at his empty food bowl as his master went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of tomato juice.

"Just a second." Sasuke drank straight out of the bottle as he picked up the bowl, carried it to the pantry, and then scooped the usual amount of food in - plus a little extra. "Sorry I didn't feed you before. But I'm done now - _and_ you get extra, both for being so patient and to celebrate." He scratched Ninja behind his ears as his dog headed happily for his food, tail wagging excitedly. "Good boy."

Leaning against the counter, Sasuke gulped down his juice as he idly watched the minutes tick by on the clock built into the stove. Jiraiya would undoubtedly stay up the whole night to finish _Checkmate_, and Sasuke didn't doubt the old man would call the _second_ he finished. Even if that happened to be at five in the morning.

Maybe, if he went now, he could get some sleep before his agent called back. After rinsing out his empty bottle, Sasuke let Ninja outside one more time, then checked to make sure all the doors were locked before heading upstairs. He felt the same sense of contented exhaustion he always felt after finishing a book. Because of that, he felt sure he could get a couple hours of sleep.

Without bothering to change clothes, Sasuke collapsed face-first onto his bed and closed his eyes. After implementing some stylistic changes, he felt _Checkmate_ might be his best book yet; for that reason he couldn't wait to hear Jiraiya's thoughts on it. He already had twelve books under his belt - thirteen counting this one - and for a twenty-seven year old, he thought that wasn't bad. He'd built quite a reputation for himself in the thriller community, topping several best-seller lists multiple times. His most popular novel to date, _Blood Reign_ (novel number nine - not that he was counting or anything), had stayed number one for over twenty weeks.

And yet he could still hear the quiet whisper of his mother's voice in the very back of his mind, "Your characters can't be the only relationships in your life, my son. You need friends, and you need love."

Granted, keeping company with serial killers, psychopaths, and their unfortunate victims - albeit imaginary ones - was kind of lonely sometimes. But he _liked_ his life the way it was. Why should he complicate it with a bunch of people - _especially_ if one of them was female?

Yeah, he'd much rather spend his days with the voices in his head than the clamoring of real people any day of the week. It was a lot less ... _messy_ that way.

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><p>Hyuuga Hinata pushed a loose lock of her blue-black hair off her flushed face and looked around. "Is that the last of it?"<p>

Her roommate, Tenten, looked up from the box she was folding shut. "I think so." The brunette's chocolate-brown eyes scanned the main room of the women's shared condo, her brows wrinkled. "Everything else will have to wait till after the wedding." She looked down at the diamond ring sparkling on her left hand, a dreamy smile curling up the corners of her mouth.

"The wedding which is only a week away now," Hinata said with a grin. Nudging a box out from in front of the couch with her foot, she dropped onto the welcoming cushions with a tired, relieved sigh. She picked up her bottle of water off the side table and took a swallow, not even caring it was warm.

Tenten wrapped a loose strand of hair around one of the twin buns atop her head and shook her head. "I can't believe it's after midnight," she moaned. "And you have to get up and work in the morning. I'm sorry." She patted the top of the box, pulled a fat pen out of her pocket, and scrawled _Books, Tenten_ across the top.

Recapping her water bottle, Hinata set it aside and shook her head. "Honestly, it's fine. I'm really going to miss you when you move out, you know."

"It's not like I'm moving across the country or anything. I'll just be fifteen minutes away - even closer if you drive." Getting to her feet, Tenten crossed the room and picked up her glass of tepid formerly-iced tea. After draining the last of her drink, she said, "I'll miss you, too, though."

"The really good thing coming out of this is that you'll be family now," Hinata said, pleased. Tenten and Hinata's older cousin, Neji, had been high school sweethearts. They continued the romance through college, into their careers, and were finally getting ready to tie the knot. She could hardly wait until she could, at long last, call her best friend "family."

"I've always wanted a big family," Tenten said wistfully. Sweeping her bangs off her sweaty face, she sighed. "And now I'm getting one."

"Perhaps more than you bargained for," Hinata warned. Tenten had been to several Hyuuga family functions, but everyone had been on their best behavior because of the "outsider." Once Tenten and Neji said their vows, she'd be privy to all the nasty little arguments and snide comments which occasionally made Hinata want to drop her familial name.

Tenten's eyes cut sideways to a series of boxes in the corner. She owned an extensive collection of weapons (including, but not limited to, katana, sai, a wide variety of knives, and around a hundred other things Hinata had no names for) and didn't only put them on display. She knew how to use every single one of them. "A little conflict never bothered me."

Which was the major difference between Tenten and Hinata. The former could hold her own in any sort of fight, but Hinata tended to back off and try to keep the peace. She _really_ didn't like conflict and often went out of her way to avoid it. "What time will the movers be here tomorrow to pick up your things?"

After an instinctive glance at the clock hanging on the wall, Tenten responded with a grimace. "They're supposed to get here at eight-thirty - right about the time you're leaving for work. Sorry, it was the only opening they had for two weeks."

Hinata hid a yawn behind her hand. "No problem," she said. "I'll just leave a little earlier." Ignoring the various aches and pains which pricked up her legs, into her back, and through her shoulders, she got to her feet and carried her bottle toward the kitchen. "If there's nothing else you need my help with, I'm going to head to bed." She knew she needed a shower - desperately - but she was too tired. She'd just get up a little earlier and do it in the morning.

Tenten followed her, tea glass in hand. "I think we're all done. I'm headed to bed too. I'm so tired, I think I could sleep straight through till the wedding. But there're still a thousand things to get done, so no such luxury for me, I'm afraid." She rinsed her glass at the sink, then shuffled toward the kitchen doorway. "'Night, Hinata."

"Goodnight, Tenten." The two women went to their separate bedrooms, where Hinata changed into an oversize tee shirt before tumbling into bed. Something niggled at the back of her mind, trying to tell her she'd forgotten something very important, but she was too tired to try to think what it could possibly be.

It wasn't until she woke up several hours later to Tenten's frenzied knock on the door that she finally remembered:

She'd forgotten to set her alarm.

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Ending Author's Notes:**_ And here begins yet another journey! _Entanglements_ is near and dear to my heart in a way few other fics are - I've put more of myself into this story than any other. I'm really excited to share this story with you for that reason, and many others. As far as technical details, from here on out I'll shift this story to my usual Friday update schedule. For those of you who have been begging me for a longer story - you'll certainly get it with _Entanglements_! It's not done _yet_, but let's put it this way - I just finished writing chapter 35. I figure it'll have around forty, give or take a few, so this is going to be a nice long story. Some chapters will be shorter, some longer, but there is a lot of ground to cover with this story, and I'm going to be taking Sasuke and Hinata on a very exciting journey. There will be ups and downs, of course, but I can promise you a very fun ride. I picture everyone living in a small town (named Konoha) in middle America, but I'll still be using the usual clan-name given-name format as usual (e.g. Hyuuga Hinata), since to me the names just don't look right flip-flopped. And I'm not going to throw in any American-sounding names, either, to keep things on an even keel. It may seem strange, me setting this story in America, but I promise there's a good reason why I did. As always, feel free to ask me questions in your reviews, and unless it involves huge spoilers, I'll answer it next chapter. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you again for next week's update!


	2. Disturbance

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _Sachiko Heiwajima_, _Guest_, _wolf-enzeru_, _Dani Stark_, _Kibachow_, _ariannaisgone_, _Tamani_, _Hyoyeon_, _CrimsonNight41_, _xlyphiechanx_, and _rao hyuga 18_ for all your wonderful reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's already added this to their follows and favorites lists - you all have blown me away!

**Author's Note:** I'll admit this story does get something of a slow start. It will still be a few chapters before Sasuke and Hinata first encounter each other - but once they do, I promise things get _really_ interesting _really_ fast. I am so excited about this story and where it's going - thank you all so much to those of you who have given this story a chance, and I hope you like this chapter!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter II~*<strong>

_~Disturbance~_

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><p>It was going to be one of those days.<p>

Hinata felt like she was running ten steps behind the day in general. Even though she rushed through her shower and breakfast, she still didn't get away before the moving crew showed up to haul Tenten's boxes and most of her furniture to her new home. By the time she finally got on the road to work, she knew she was going to be late. She had been working at Konoha Public Library for five years, ever since she graduated from college. She'd only called in sick three times, and she had _never_ been late.

...Her near-perfect record was about to be blasted to bits.

After parking in her accustomed spot behind the tidy, red brick building, Hinata grabbed her purse and hurried to the back door. The knob turned in her hand - an unaccustomed feeling, considering she was usually the one who unlocked it.

Feeling like a teenager sneaking through the back door after curfew (though she had no personal experience of such a feeling), Hinata briefly wondered if she could slip past her boss's office without being noticed. A quick glance proved the door stood wide open. And from the extremely unhappy sounds pouring out of it, her superior was _not_ in a good mood.

Hinata crept to the doorway. She slid a pale eye around the frame, catching sight of the figure sitting at the desk with a phone in one hand and her fist banging the top of her desk with the other. Even though she worked in a library, Senju Tsunade was _not_ a quiet woman. The fact had always confused _and_ amused Hinata.

Piercing amber eyes landed on Hinata as Tsunade slammed down her phone. "He refused _again_!" she practically shrieked.

Feeling somewhat thankful Tsunade seemed distracted by something else, thus didn't notice she was late, Hinata crept into the room and queried, "Who refused what?" _Thankfully we're not open yet._ It was Hinata's job to unlock the front doors, which she hadn't made it past Tsunade's office to do yet.

Rubbing her forehead, Tsunade glared at the silent phone sitting atop her messy desk. "Uchiha Sasuke. I've been trying for _years_ to get him to do something here at the library - like a meet and greet, or a book signing, or a discussion, or _something_! You'd think the man would show _some_ appreciation for the library of the town in which he not only _lives_, but was also born and raised." She huffed angrily. "But _no_. I came in this morning to yet another message from his agent, saying Mr. I'm-such-a-famous-author-I'm-too-good-for-such-things _again_ refuses our invitation." Tsunade growled loudly, baring her white teeth in obvious frustration.

Hinata swallowed hard. Several famous authors - some of her favorites, as a matter of fact - came from Konoha. The likes of Yuuhi Kurenai, Shiranui Genma, and Yamato Tenzou had all very generously made appearances in the library several times. Senju Hashirama, Tsunade's grandfather (also a famous novelist and the founder of the library), had basically set the standard of community involvement by making several appearances at the library and other functions around town.

But Uchiha Sasuke, arguably the most famous author Konoha had ever produced (from the modern stock, anyway), always refused to participate in that tradition. He never gave a reason. Since no one ever actually saw him (just his creepy looking mansion crouching on the highest hill on the outskirts of town like a giant monster), it seemed hopeless they'd ever get a positive answer.

It was a running joke there must be something in the water which made the town produce so many prolific, famous, and community-spirited authors. But Hinata thought Uchiha Sasuke must have lead-lined pipes or something like that running up to his house when it came to community spirit. It was a crazy theory, sure, but it would certainly explain a few things.

Biting down on one candy-apple-red painted fingernail, Tsunade narrowed her gaze on a point somewhere over Hinata's left shoulder. "One of these days," she muttered. "One of these days, I'm going to get him in here, even if it kills me."

Hinata privately thought the odds were actually in favor of such a thing happening, particularly considering Uchiha Sasuke's obvious dislike of the idea. She'd lived in Konoha all her life, and she couldn't remember ever seeing the man - even as a kid in school. "Hopefully one of these days, if you keep trying, he will change his mind," she agreed diplomatically.

Continuing to mutter under her breath, Tsunade waved toward the door to dismiss Hinata. Relieved, the young woman slipped out of the office, closing the door behind herself, and went out to the front of the library. After stowing her purse under the desk, she flipped on the lights on her way to unlock the front doors.

Several people trickled in after she opened the door. She greeted most of them by name and then went back to the desk to boot up her computer. She breathed in the smell of books (she wished they'd make a perfume) as she pulled things out of the overnight returns bin.

Despite the late night and her sleeping in, Hinata decided, it might turn out to be a good day after all.

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><p>Sasuke woke with the sun, prying his eyes open to greet the pale yellow light filtering through the mini blinds across the room. Huh, he'd slept longer than he thought he'd be able to. Sitting up slowly, he rubbed the crick in his neck and reached out to pick up his phone off the nightstand.<p>

No calls. _Weird_.

After completing his morning ablutions, Sasuke went downstairs and let Ninja out in the privacy fenced backyard to do his business. Tucking his phone into his pocket, he went to the kitchen and started the coffee pot, knowing he'd need caffeine before he could even try to tackle the list of things he had to do.

He tended to neglect certain things when writing. Important things, like laundry, dishes, eating, bathing... Now he'd finished _Checkmate_, he could catch up on his chores before he had to tackle future edits (his least favorite part), possible (spotty) re-writes, and galley proofs.

Sasuke munched on an apple as he waited for his coffee to percolate and his bacon to microwave. When Ninja barked at the back door, he let the dog in and played some tug with the big black shepherd until the coffee machine chimed.

He'd just sat down at the table when his phone vibrated. Grinning, he pulled it out and glanced at the screen - a text from Jiraiya. His grin faded a little. _Weird_. Usually his agent liked to call to talk about the manuscript, to gush about the things he liked and gripe about other things he _didn't_.

Sipping his coffee (black - only wimps put in cream and sugar and other girly stuff like that), Sasuke opened the text and read it, puzzling over its contents.

_Halfway through. Will call later._

Concern stirred in Sasuke's chest, and he set down his coffee mug with a thump. Something must have happened for Jiraiya not to be all the way through yet. He'd sounded fine on the phone, but Sasuke knew from personal experience things could happen in a person's life to put everything on hold in the blink of an eye.

Staring down at his breakfast, which suddenly didn't seem so appetizing anymore, Sasuke wondered uneasily if his agent didn't like the book. On many occasions in the past Jiraiya had complained about portions of a book; but he'd never _not_ liked an entire manuscript in general. Could it be _Checkmate_ was the first?

_No._ Shaking his head, Sasuke bit down hard on a piece of bacon and chewed thoroughly. _It'll be fine. Jiraiya's a busy man - I'm not the only author he represents. I'm just blowing things way out of proportion, that's all._

With his confidence (mostly) restored, Sasuke finished his breakfast and went to start the first of several loads of laundry. Ninja followed him around with various toys in his mouth, and Sasuke was always glad to take a break every now and then to play. While always quick to protect his master and his property, when he wasn't "on duty," as it were, the black shepherd turned into a overgrown, playful puppy.

The morning passed in a blur of laundry, dishes, a shower, sweeping, and washing his car. All the while he kept his phone close, hoping to hear it ring or feel it vibrate. As the hours crept by, he felt his tension mount. Ninja, closely attuned to his master's moods, picked up on it. He started pacing around the house, growling deep in his chest at every little sound he heard. His toys lay untouched in the basket in the corner of the living room, where Sasuke had put them while vacuuming.

A late lunchtime came and went without a phone call. Sasuke ate quickly, without much appetite, and went back to his rapidly-dwindling chores list, trying to get a handle on his anxiety since he knew he was driving poor Ninja crazy. He let the dog out in the backyard to run off some of his tension. He leaned in the doorway and watched, hand hovering close to his pocket.

When the phone finally rang, it startled Sasuke so badly he nearly dropped it. After a quick glance at the caller ID, he answered with a breathed, "I was starting to get worried. Everything okay, Jiraiya?"

"Oh, fine, fine." Jiraiya sounded strangely subdued, though, and the knot in Sasuke's gut tightened a little further. "I'm fine. But I'm afraid I have bad news for you."

Sasuke's breath caught in his throat. His mouth went dry. He couldn't swallow. Couldn't speak. Could only wait for Jiraiya to explain his comment.

"My boy, you know I love your work. Half the agents in the industry hate me for snatching you up when you became available, and the other half are scheming to get you away from me. Your books are a huge asset to the thriller and horror communities. The twelve published works you've got under your belt - and the success of each of them - are proof of that."

_There's a _but_ coming. I can hear it._ Sasuke's hand tightened around the doorframe. He couldn't even smile as Ninja jumped in the air, trying to catch a butterfly fluttering around his head. _This is very bad. Very bad. Bad bad bad bad..._

Jiraiya cleared his throat and spoke in an oddly hoarse tone. "This is your thirteenth book, Sasuke. One of your most anticipated, according to the online community. Up until today, I completely agreed with them. But-" and there it was, the dreaded _but_ "-I'm afraid thirteen is definitely _not_ a lucky number for you."

Sasuke closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against the doorframe. "You hated it." Rejection churned in his gut, and to his surprise, the backs of his eyes began to prickle.

"I wouldn't say I _hated_ it. I don't think I can _hate_ anything you write. But I couldn't connect with the characters, the plot felt a bit like a hatchet job, and the ending just fell flat." Jiraiya went quiet, and when Sasuke didn't say anything - _couldn't_ say anything - he went on gently, "I'm sorry, my boy. It just didn't work."

Rubbing his hand over his face, Sasuke cleared his own throat and rasped, "Can I call you back later?"

"Of course." After another apology, Jiraiya hung up.

Sasuke sank to his knees in the doorway, shock filtering through him. He'd felt so _certain_ about _Checkmate_. He thought it would be one of his best, if not his best to date, period. He'd been so _excited_.

And now Jiraiya had yanked the rug out from beneath him.

Ninja came up, nudging his master with his wet black nose, a whine building deep in his throat. Wrapping his arms around his constant companion, Sasuke buried his face in the dog's ruff and squeezed his eyes shut.

He'd failed Jiraiya. He'd failed his fans. He'd failed _himself_.

Now what was he supposed to do?

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ I know a bit how Sasuke feels. It's my worst nightmare, failing my readers. I love you all so much, and appreciate all your kind words and your support of me and my work. And I'm always fighting that niggling little fear in the back of my mind that I'm going to fail you. Like I said, I put a lot more of myself in _Entanglements_ than perhaps any other story I've written, and it's made it hard sometimes to write it. But it's also been so fulfilling, and I really hope that comes across, even this early in the story. I know it's getting a bit of a slow start, and it will still be a couple of chapters before Hinata and Sasuke come face-to-face for the first time. But I promise, when they do finally meet, it's going to get really, really _fun_. Thank you all so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you all again for next week's update!


	3. Pretense

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _Kia-B_, _Dani Stark_, _xHinaLovex_, _Tamani_, _Kibachow_, _ariannaisgone_, _NeverInUrWildestDreams_, _Hyoyeon_, _rao hyuga 18_, _misao97_, and _xlyphiechanx_ for all your reviews! Also thanks to everyone for adding this story to their favorites and follows lists!

**Author's Note:** Ah, so many fun developments in this chapter! I'm still setting up the story and the main themes threaded through, but I promise we'll get to the good stuff soon. Thank you all so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter III~*<strong>

_~Pretense~_

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><p>Hinata hummed as she reshelved books after lunch. The few hours between the after-lunch one, and five, when people got off work, tended to be rather slow. A woman and her toddler browsed the children's section; two teenagers sat using computers. Other than that, she had the entire place to herself.<p>

Tsunade still hadn't come back from lunch. Hinata wondered if that was a good thing or a bad one; with her boss, it could really go either way.

Cradling a copy of Jane Austen's _Pride and Prejudice_ - one of her all-time favorite books - in her left hand, she ran loving fingers over the well-worn cover. If someone came in looking for a classic, she always pointed them toward this one. Though she'd seen nearly every movie and miniseries based on the novel, she still enjoyed the book best.

Why mess with something which was already so good to begin with?

Smiling, she slipped the book into its place on the shelf and pushed her cart along to the next aisle. Hinata was counting the minutes until five, when she got off work. Usually she stayed until closing time at eight, but Tenten wanted to take her out to dinner before they went to the final fitting for Hinata's maid of honor dress. It was cutting it close to the wedding; but there had been a mixup with the order, and she'd been forced to make a last-minute appointment to assure it fit.

If everything went well, she'd be able to bring the dress home with her tonight. Tenten was already stressed to exploding with last minute details, and this situation wasn't helping. If the dress wasn't ready, Hinata had a feeling she'd see the usually unshakeable bride completely fall to pieces. It wasn't something she wanted to witness - or initiate.

She'd just reshelved a compilation of Mark Twain's works when she heard the front door open. Pushing a stray strand of hair off her face, Hinata smiled and headed toward the end of the aisle to greet the newest patron-

-Only to see her little sister barreling across the room toward her. Hinata had just enough time to brace herself before Hyuuga Hanabi threw herself against her sister, arms wrapping around her neck, a squeal nearly piercing the older woman's ears.

"You'll never _believe_ what just happened!" Hanabi cried in a voice far too loud for a library - even a mostly empty one.

Smiling apologetically at the mother with the toddler and the teenager _not_ wearing headphones, Hinata wrapped her arm around Hanabi's shoulders and firmly guided her excited sibling toward the doors. When her sister got like this, there was no getting her to quiet down for at least an hour. "All right, what's going on?" Hinata asked as soon as they got outside.

Hanabi bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, her large silver hoop earrings swaying vigorously with the motion. "Okay, so you know how I've been _begging_ Father to let me move out?"

"Yes." Hinata hadn't been allowed to move out until she was twenty-one; and only then because she and Tenten had gotten the condo together. Now, even at twenty-seven, she felt pretty sure her father wasn't happy about the prospect of her living by herself. But Hinata had bought Tenten's half of the condo once she and Neji got engaged, and now owned the whole thing free and clear. She wasn't willing to give it up. "Don't tell me he changed his mind?" Hanabi was only eighteen. Hyuuga Hiashi _surely_ wouldn't have given in to his daughter's pleas, not when Hinata had had to wait an additional _three_ years...

"_Yes_!" Hanabi squealed and pumped her fist excitedly. "He said I could move out!" Some of the animation drained out of her expression, and she added, "With one stipulation, of course."

Hinata felt her eyebrows go up. As far as she knew, none of Hanabi's friends had any intentions of moving out of their own homes. Had one of them changed her mind so Hanabi could benefit from much the same deal Hinata had gotten? "What would that be?"

Hanabi grinned widely and grabbed her sister in another exuberant hug. "I get to move in with you!"

...And _this_ was just the kind of thing which _would_ have to happen on a day she'd overslept. Hinata stood absolutely still and silent in her sister's grip, staring blankly over Hanabi's shoulder. _What - _how_?_ They were the only two words her shocked mind could produce, though her frozen vocal chords refused to allow her to voice them.

Pulling back, Hanabi got good look at her sister's face and visibly deflated. "You - you're not thrilled about this, too?" Tears quickly gathered in the girl's wide lavender eyes, replacing the earlier excitement glowing there.

Wrapping her hand over her forehead, Hinata stared at her sister. "Father hasn't said a word about this to me," she said. Although knowing him as well as she did- This had to be his way of taking care of his concerns about his older daughter's living alone while at the same time washing his hands of his younger's persistent nagging. _Aren't you a clever one, Father?_ Hinata didn't know whether to feel angry, used, disgusted, or all three.

She leaned toward all three.

Hanabi shrugged. "I guess he wanted it to be a surprise," she said. Her tone implied she thought it was a pleasant one. Her enthusiasm returned. "Oooh, this is going to be _so much_ fun! Just think about it, Hinata, and you'll be excited, too. Right?"

Truthfully? _No. "Appalled" is the word that comes to mind_. But Hinata didn't want to crush her younger sister's obvious happiness any more than she already had, so she said honestly, if somewhat dryly, "It was quite the surprise, that's for sure."

Obviously taking Hinata's words the way she wanted to, Hanabi grinned and nodded. "When's Tenten moving out, again?"

Hinata clenched her hand into a fist beneath the cover of a fold of her skirt. "The movers were there this morning to take almost everything over to Neji's house. I'm going to pack up the last of her things and move them over while they're on honeymoon." While she was going to miss Tenten very much, that didn't mean she'd been on the market for another roommate. _Especially_ not one as wild, unpredictable, and excitable as her younger sister.

Hanabi nodded. "That will work out quite well." Pushing the strap of her purse higher on her shoulder, she said, "Do you want to come over for dinner tonight so we can talk about it more?"

Suppressing a feeling of guilt, Hinata found a reason to be _glad_ for the mixup with her dress. If she came face-to-face with her father right now, she wasn't quite sure what she'd say. She only knew it wouldn't be pretty. "I can't. I'm going for the final fitting and to pick up my dress tonight, after Tenten and I grab a bite to eat. It's one of the last times we're going to get to do so before she marries Neji." Yes, Hinata would miss her and Tenten's many girl's days/evenings out. She knew they'd still find time to have them, but not nearly as often.

"Oh." Hanabi nodded, looking only slightly disappointed. "How about tomorrow?"

Unfortunately, Hinata had nothing pressing on her social calendar. In fact, she had nothing else important going on until the day prior to the wedding, which made a very sad commentary on her social life (or lack thereof). "I suppose tomorrow will work."

Hanabi grinned. "Excellent." Turning, she breezed toward her small, sporty convertible - oddly, a gift from their father for her eighteenth birthday. "See you tomorrow, then, big sister! I'm looking forward to it!"

Waving until Hanabi turned the corner and vanished, Hinata headed back into the library, a sudden headache pounding behind her eyes.

_Now_ what was she supposed to do?

* * *

><p>Sasuke slumped in his computer chair and stared at his phone. He couldn't put it off any longer. He needed to call Jiraiya back.<p>

Punching the pre-set for the long-familiar number, he only had to wait through two rings for his agent to answer. "Hello, Sasuke?" The old man's voice was filled with sympathy.

Which was exactly what Sasuke _didn't_ want at that moment. Turning his gaze toward his wall safe, where the jump drives with that cursed manuscript rested, he said dully, "Yeah."

Jiraiya sounded concerned when he spoke again. "Are you all right?"

"No." Not wanting to elaborate, he said, "What do you want me to do? I don't know if I can re-write _Checkmate_. The story was just so _clear_ in my head the way it is..." Besides, he felt like if he tried to rework it totally, he'd be killing it. Each of his books wound up feeling something like his child, so how could he just go and murder it?

"I'm not going to ask you to do that. Believe it or not, I understand where you're coming from. I've been there myself."

Sasuke didn't think their situations were anything alike. He wrote thrillers, occasionally something that bordered along the horror genre. Before becoming an agent, Jiraiya wrote smut. There wasn't a single similarity between the two. "Hn," he grumbled. "So what else do you recommend I do? I've got a contract to fulfill."

Jiraiya spoke briefly at a distance, and Sasuke realized he was talking to his secretary. When he came back, he asked, "Do you have any idea what your next book is going to be about? I know you usually get the first inklings of your next project about halfway through your current one."

He'd had two, actually. But now Sasuke was starting to wonder if either of them would be any good. "I have a vague idea or two. But I'm not sure I want to pursue either of them. What if...?" He trailed off, unable to voice his insecurity aloud. _What if they're just as bad - or, heaven forbid - _worse_ than _Checkmate_ turned out to be?_

"You _can't_ let this get you down," Jiraiya said sternly. "How many times was your first book rejected before a publisher finally picked it up?"

"Twenty-two," Sasuke admitted. He'd given up at the sixteenth - his age at the time - but unbeknownst to him, his older brother Itachi kept sending the manuscript out for him. Sasuke hadn't found it in himself to be mad when the confirmation hit the mailbox, though his knee-jerk reaction was to get angry. Through the following eleven novels, half of them done with the help of Jiraiya, he'd been nothing but eternally grateful to his brother.

But now, he couldn't help but wonder if it would have been better if Itachi hadn't bothered. If Sasuke hadn't been published, he wouldn't have kept writing. If he hadn't kept writing, he wouldn't have kept getting published. If he hadn't kept being published, he would have never written _Checkmate_.

And if he'd never written _Checkmate_, he wouldn't be stuck in the situation in which he currently found himself.

It was a very vicious cycle.

"Some writers have far more rejections than that," Jiraiya told Sasuke. "_Make Out Paradise_ was rejected thirty-seven times before I finally got it published. And you know how big the series is now - especially in Japan."

That was nice - for Jiraiya. "Have you announced anything about my next book online?" Sasuke asked. He hated the thought of his fans hearing about _Checkmate_ - and then never getting the book.

"Thankfully, no. I've only said you've been working on your thirteenth book, and I'd update whenever you got it finished." A rapid clicking in the background made Sasuke think his agent was tapping a pen against his desk, something he did while he was stressed, or thinking hard, or - in this case - probably both. "You finished the manuscript for _Head Shot_ in just under two months. Do you think, maybe, you could pull out another trick like that now?" He sounded hopeful.

"I don't know, Jiraiya. I'm not sure I have another book in me." _Not after this._

Sasuke had to hold the phone away from his ear as Jiraiya let out a shout, then nearly choked. After a painful-sounding coughing fit, he thundered, "Boy, you're not thinking straight!"

Perhaps not, but Sasuke just didn't think he could handle writing another book - at least not in the near future. It felt like Jiraiya's rejection of _Checkmate_ had left him beaten, broken, and bloody along the side of the road. He didn't have anything left to give after that. "Maybe I've run my course, Jiraiya. It's possible I've written all the good material I can, and now I'm bled dry."

"Everyone has their slumps, and _everyone_ writes at least one dud." Jiraiya sounded half-angry, half-desperate. "You're my most popular author, Sasuke. And, more than that, you're one of the most popular authors _in the world_. You're at the top of the game, the kind of author others in the genre aspire to be half as good as. You can't just up and quit because you've had _one_ setback."

But the urge was so _tempting_. "So what am I supposed to write now, Jiraiya?" Sasuke was depending on his agent too much, and he knew it. But his agent had been in the publishing world over thirty-five years. He'd been in slumps himself, and dealt with other authors who were in slumps. Who better to ask, if anything were to be salvaged from this?

"The same thing you've always written - thrillers. Horror. Blood and guts and mind-bending plot twists that keep your readers glued to the page late into the night, always wondering what's going to happen next. You've got a gift, kid, and you can't just walk away from that. Trust me, just because you want to be a pansy and run away when the going's gotten tough - the voices in your head won't be quiet. You _need_ that outlet, or you'll go crazy." Jiraiya very much sounded like the voice of experience; which was why Sasuke had asked in the first place.

_Maybe I'm already crazy. Ever stopped to think about that?_ Sasuke knew better than to voice the thought. "All right," he said, feeling tired and defeated. "I'll try."

Jiraiya sounded quite a bit more cheerful when he responded. "To write another book as quickly as you can?"

"Yeah." Sasuke rubbed his eyes with the index finger and thumb of his right hand. He'd only had the barest whispers of ideas for future works come to him, since he'd been so consumed with writing _Checkmate_. And now it seemed like all the voices and ideas in his head had run away to hide since the rejection, afraid to come out for fear they'd get shot down, too. "I'll work on some stuff tomorrow and get back to you, okay?"

"All right. But while you're doing that, I'm going to be feeling out your fanbase, see what they're thinking, how excited they are - though I can already tell you they're pretty excited. I'll also see if anything has leaked about _Checkmate_ - best case scenario, there won't be anything." Jiraiya sighed loudly, which made it seem like he was expecting there would be. Despite all the safety measures everyone involved in Sasuke's work took, sometimes things still slid through the cracks.

"And if there is?" Sasuke shied away from the thought. The only thing worse than _not_ getting _Checkmate_ published at all would be if his fans were expecting _that_ particular story and then not getting it in the end.

"I'll wave it off as mere hearsay and rumors. Don't worry, Sasuke, I've got your back. We'll get through this." Jiraiya's voice held an almost fatherly tone, one Uchiha Fugaku certainly never used around Sasuke.

"Thanks, Jiraiya. I - well, I really appreciate everything you do for me." How many times had his agent gone above and beyond the terms of their contract, just because he was such a nice guy?

"I'm actually glad you brought that up." Jiraiya cleared his throat, then was quiet for a long, worrying moment before he went on. "There's something I've been wanting to talk to you about, but didn't want to bother you about until after you finished up your newest project."

Sasuke felt his gut clench. _I can't take more bad news right now. Not after all this._ A thousand terrible things tumbled through his mind - was Jiraiya planning to retire? Was he sick - maybe even dying? Was he planning to drop Sasuke as a client? "What?" he rasped. He couldn't keep the panic from his tone.

"I know you don't do much publicity work; I understand that. You're a very private person, and I'm willing to respect that about you. Besides, I've always thought it makes the few interviews and books signing you _do_ take on all the more special for their rarity." Jiraiya's tone had definitely taken on a cautious note, as if he were trying to talk Sasuke down off the edge of a cliff.

_Uh-oh._ Sasuke had a feeling he knew where this was going - and it was almost as bad as the scenarios he'd come up with before. "I don't want to do anything more than I do now." He was a writer, not an actor or talk show personality. He didn't relate to people, other than those in his head.

In fact, he had to force himself to do the few publicity things Jiraiya arranged for him the way it was. Sasuke often had to fight off panic attacks whenever he thought about them, let alone did them.

"I know you don't, and ordinarily I wouldn't push the issue. But considering the - ah, _problem_ you're having at the moment, I don't think it's a good idea to let yourself stray too far from the spotlight. Fans are fickle, as you well know. I think you need to do a few more things to keep up appearances while you work on your next project." A distinct cringe manifested itself in Jiraiya's tone, as if he expected Sasuke to explode.

Sasuke was very tempted to oblige. But losing his temper certainly wouldn't help the issue any. "What did you have in mind?" If it was television appearances, he'd veto the idea immediately. A radio interview or two wasn't _too_ bad, as long as he didn't have to appear on screen. He could stand being heard better than seen.

An extra book signing - even a handful of them - wouldn't be _too_ bad. As long as he didn't have to stray too far from home.

"I'm glad you're feeling amenable about this, my boy. I've been getting several phone calls recently from a Senju Tsunade - the head of Konoha Public Library. She wants to have you in for a book signing, a meet and greet, and perhaps a discussion about a few of your books. Seeing as how it's in your home town, I think it's a good idea." Jiraiya hesitated, then ventured, "We could look at it as kind of a trial run, if you will. If it goes well, we could look into branching out from there, perhaps doing more like that in other places. There's certainly not a lack of places interested in arranging such things."

Sasuke closed his eyes against the persistent throb building behind them. What in the world had he just agreed to do? "I guess you should call her back and talk to her about setting it up. You know what I do and don't like to do, so you can arrange everything."

He didn't want to do this. At all. But even he could see the wisdom in Jiraiya's words.

"You won't regret this, Sasuke. I promise." Jiraiya sounded excited as he hung up, still talking - presumably to his poor secretary.

Setting aside his phone, Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose and hoped to high heaven his agent was right.

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ So many fun things introduced in this chapter! There are a lot of subtle themes woven through this story, and several important plotlines, and I just introduced quite a bit of both in this chapter. It makes me even more excited about things still to come! I'm actually really enjoying writing Hanabi in this story - usually I try to avoid writing her, because we haven't seen her a lot canonically and I never really liked her. But I'm having fun playing around with her in this universe. And poor Sasuke - things are just falling to pieces. But sometimes we have to be at our lowest to recognize the good things which come our way... I hope you enjoyed this chapter, thanks for reading, and I hope to see you again for next week's update (where interesting things _really_ start happening)!


	4. Glimpse

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _CrimsonNight41_, _Guest_, _Kia-B_, _Dani Stark_, _Kibachow_, _Sachiko Heiwajima_, _Tamani_, _Catastrophically-Me_, _wolf-enzeru_, _rao hyuga 18_, _mac 2_, _tactics2012_, _lems_, and _NeverInUrWildestDreams_ for all your wonderful reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this story to their favorites and alert lists - I love seeing new alerts in my e-box!

**Author's Note:** The part we've all been waiting for - their first encounter! This is the part of the story where the really exciting stuff starts, so I really hope you all enjoy it - and thansk for reading!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter IV~*<strong>

_~Glimpse~_

* * *

><p>Hinata wanted to put on the brakes and slow down the day. The hours were freight-training by, hurrying her along toward the inevitable dinner with her father and sister. She still had no idea what she was going to say or how she was going to react. All she knew: it <em>wasn't<em> going to be pretty. At all.

Tsunade had been in her office all day, presumably on the phone. She'd only appeared long enough to request Hinata bring something back for her for lunch, then went back. She'd looked pretty happy, so Hinata figured it must be good news on the other end of the line.

_Really_ good news, considering she'd been on the phone for what seemed like several hours.

Slipping down another aisle, Hinata continued reshelving as she sighed and turned her mind back toward the rapidly approaching disaster in her near future. Her father had done some manipulative things in the past, but nothing quite this bad.

So much for Hinata's figuring moving out would get her out from beneath her father's thumb. The dominating reaches of his imagination and creativity apparently knew no bounds.

With a little more force than necessary, Hinata slapped a copy of Poe's collected works into place. Scowling at the darkly-bound cover, she thought about pulling it down again and checking it out herself. The morbid poet's work just about fit her mood right now.

At the front of the building, the door opened and closed. For a moment Hinata froze, getting flashbacks to the day before when Hanabi arrived with her bombshell. But she shook off her déjà vu moment and went to the end of the aisle to greet the patron.

There was no one there.

Hinata blinked, wondering if she'd just imagined the sound. For a moment she stared at the closed door in confusion, then shrugged and went back to her reshelving. If the person who came in wanted help, they'd come find her.

She rounded the corner and went down the next aisle, filling in slots by rote as she worried over how to get out of having Hanabi move in with her. She really did love her little sister, despite the age gap separating them. But having her living in such close proximity was something she _hadn't_ missed.

Something dark flashed by in her peripheral vision. Hinata turned quickly, but the end of the aisle was empty. A little shiver ran up her spine, raising goosebumps on her skin. She wasn't staffing the library by herself - Tsunade was still in the office - and as usual there were a couple of teenagers on the comptuers. Suddenly, though, she felt very alone, and very vulnerable.

Wrapping her arms around her stomach, she slid her feet out of her shoes and walked silently down the aisle, mentally playing and replaying the numerous self-defense techniques Tenten had taught her over the years. _Solar plexus, nose, knees, and groin are the best places to aim._ Tensing her muscles, she slid forward a final step and peered around the shelving.

Nothing.

Hinata rubbed her eyes and looked again. _Still_ nothing.

Was she going crazy?

Shaking her head, Hinata went back to her cart, but remained alert for anything else out of the ordinary. Granted, she hadn't gotten a great night's sleep thanks to turning her problems over and over in her mind, but she didn't think the lack of sleep was enough to warrant full-blown hallucinations - of both the visual and auditory varieties.

As she went around to the next aisle, she shot a glance over her shoulder. Both teenagers still sat hunched in front of their computers, and neither seemed particularly affected by anything. They were both in a good position to see the door, so they had to have seen whoever came in.

_If_ someone came in.

Hinata shelved the last few books on her cart, then wheeled it back to the front desk. Tucking it back into place against the wall, she settled into her chair and checked the computer to make sure no holds had come in while she was away from the screen. When she noticed the readout was still at zero, she let out a sigh of relief and reached for her bottle of tea under the desk. Maybe the rest of the afternoon would be slow, and she could turn her full attention to the issue of her sister, father, and dinner with the pair of them.

Capping her bottle, Hinata returned it to its shelf and leaned back in her seat. Closing her eyes, she pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed loudly. _I can't believe this is happening. What am I going to do? What am I going to say?_

"Hinata!"

Startling so badly she nearly fell off her chair, Hinata grabbed the edge of the desk to balance herself as she spun to face Tsunade, who stood in the doorway to the hall which led to the back rooms and her office. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Tsunade threw up her hands in exultation and grinned widely. "Guess what just happened?"

Letting go of the desk, Hinata glanced around, halfway hoping a clue would present itself in the form of writing on the wall, or perhaps an open book with large print on the floor. When nothing magically appeared, she ventured, "What?"

Tsunade laughed and rubbed her hands together gleefully as she delivered the news. "Uchiha Sasuke has _finally_ agreed to come to the library!"

* * *

><p>Sasuke tensed when he heard his name invoked at the front of the building. Ducking his head and pulling the bill of his cap a little farther down over his eyes, he peeked to either side of himself to make sure he was still alone. If Senju Tsunade knew he was in her library at that very moment... Well, he didn't like to think of what would happen.<p>

Reaching up to the top shelf, Sasuke pulled down another book to add to the stack cradled in his left arm. His laptop as well as a couple of notebooks rested inside the black messenger bag slung over his shoulder. He'd come prepared to do a ton of research, trying to time it in the library's slump hours, between one and five. He had about four hours in which to read and record.

Carrying his teetering stack of research material, he searched until he found a nice uninhabited, out-of-the-way corner and settled in. Tucking himself up against the wall so he was hidden by shelves at every angle but one, Sasuke booted up his laptop and reached for the book on the top of his stack.

His library card was years out of date; and besides that, he didn't want to have to talk to the woman at the front desk to check anything out. If he'd had his druthers, he wouldn't even have ventured out of his house to the library at all, but online research - and his own ample supply of research materials - could only get him so far. He hadn't had to go to the library in years, and he'd been hoping to avoid the trip this time.

But Jiraiya had urged him to get out of the house, try some new surroundings and see if it didn't spark something. Sasuke figured the library was as good a place as any, since it wasn't crowded and was filled to the brim with books - two of his favorite things.

If everything went all right today, he might even try to come back tomorrow. But only if he wasn't noticed - or, worse, recognized.

Sasuke had culled books on several different subjects during his search. He had everything from the supernatural to the unnatural, and he hoped somewhere under those covers would be the seed for his next novel.

It didn't even have to be a bestseller. It just needed to be _good_.

He kept one ear tuned in to his surroundings as he researched. A few times he typed down a few lines or even the beginnings of an image in his head, but nothing grabbed him, shook him, and demanded to be pursued. Truthfully, he felt rather like a very deep, very empty well.

At least his reading was interesting. He marked down several titles, authors, and ISBN numbers so he could purchase copies for his own collection, then moved on. But three hours passed with no good ideas, and Sasuke finally shut down his computer in disgust.

Tucking his laptop back into his bag, Sasuke gathered up the books and peeked around the corner to make sure no one was in his vicinity. When he determined the coast was clear, he slipped out of his hiding place and crept back to the aisle from which he'd gathered his books, then carefully returned each to its proper place.

Now all he had to do was get out without being seen. On near-silent feet, Sasuke slipped to the end of the aisle and peered around the bookshelf, his eyes darting from the computers - empty - to the front desk - also empty.

At least for the moment, the coast was clear. All he had to do was make it across the room and through the front doors without being seen. Then he could head around back of the building, get his car, and beat it back home before anyone noticed.

"Can I help you find something?"

Sasuke nearly fell face-first into the aisle. Grabbing the strap of his bag to protect his laptop, he spun around to face the source of the unexpected voice behind him, at the same time reaching up to make sure his hat stayed in place atop his head - and over his eyes.

Peeking out from beneath its brim, he got an eyeful of a colorful skirt; a fashionably (or so he presumed) baggy coordinating shirt; long dark hair; and wide, innocent lavender eyes. The woman stood only a few steps away, her small hands clasped together in front of her, head tilted slightly to the side at an inquisitive angle.

_Run, _now_!_ The instinct screamed through his head as Sasuke quickly shook his head and took a rapid step back. "Uh - no, thanks. I was just leaving." Without waiting for a response, Sasuke pivoted on his heel and half-ran to the door. He shoved it open and stepped outside, drawing in a deep breath of the fresh air, the smothered feeling quickly creeping over him inside thankfully wisping away.

_That was close_. As he hurried around the side of the building, Sasuke pulled out his keys and hit the button for the keyless entry as he approached the sleek red vehicle - his one (rather ostentatious) weakness.

Sasuke didn't dare let himself breathe easily until he turned into his long, meandering driveway. Pulling his hat off, he tossed it onto the passenger seat and ran his hand through his messy black hair. He should have known when he didn't see the librarian in her chair that she'd gotten up to come after him.

The major question nagging at him: had she recognized him? He hadn't heard her shout his name as he fled, but he'd been so desperate he might not have.

Did he dare go back tomorrow? And what would he do when it came time for him to show up for the public appearance Jiraiya arranged for him?

As he rounded the last curve and the trees cleared, Sasuke groaned. A familiar orange clunker sat in the driveway in front of the house, with a blond figure propped comfortably against the front fender.

Sasuke briefly considered pulling a quick U-turn and driving off, but unfortunately Uzumaki Naruto had already noticed him. Visibly brightening, the annoying man pushed off his car and waved widely, grinning like an idiot.

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke hit the button for his garage door and pulled into its cool confines. Before he could hit the button again to lock Naruto out, the blond bounced up to the side of the car and reached for the door handle.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked as he opened the door.

"I brought dinner," Naruto said, holding up the sack in his left hand. "Mom made it special. I heard you needed some cheering up, so I came to do the job."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Who told you?"

"Shikamaru." Naruto followed Sasuke to the door leading from the garage into the house, then into the kitchen. "He said something about your newest book?"

What had Sasuke been _thinking_, telling Shikamaru about _Checkmate_'s being rejected? He knew why - he'd needed to vent, and Shikamaru had been convenient since he'd called to check on how the security system he'd designed for the computer was doing. But still, he hadn't expected his friend to blab to Naruto, of all people. "What do you want to drink?" He sighed resignedly, knowing he wouldn't get rid of Naruto until the blond was good and ready to leave.

As he gathered up two glasses and got some ice from the freezer, he knew this was going to be a very long, very pointless night.

At least he was used to it. And it wasn't like it could get any worse, right?

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ He ran away! But at least he's intrigued... I've been _so_ excited to get to this chapter and share their first encounter with you all, because it sets off a chain of events that really gets their relationship going. I love all your reviews, and your observations and theories about what's going to happen in the story. Also, I want to send a huge shout-out to _Renoa Heartilly_, who drew an amazing fan poster for _Entanglements_ and posted it on her tumblr, _idontliveinatent_. It captures the essence of Sasuke, Hinata, and their relationship in this story as it unfolds, and it's amazing. Please, go take a look - you can find a link to it in my profile! Thank you all so much for reading this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope to see you again for next week's update!


	5. Dinner

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _Sachiko Heiwajima_, _Tamani_, _Lems_, _farahb_, _CrimsonNight41_, _Sun_, _rao hyuga 18_, _miemae04_, _wolf-enzeru_, and _The Clawed Butterfly_ for all your wonderful reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this story to their favorites and follows lists!

**Author's Note:** You know, I really love vulnerable!Sasuke. He's such an egotistical, self-centered, all-powerful jerk in the manga, which does absolutely nothing to endear his character to me (I haven't really ever liked him, even all the way back in the beginning of the manga/anime), I thought it would be interesting and refreshing to give his personality a 180. Now he's reserved and socially awkward and almost painfully shy. He's got issues, ones he's not really willing to face. Oh, but he will. It won't be easy, but it will be fun - for us. I really hope you like this chapter, and thanks for reading!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter V~*<strong>

_~Dinner~_

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><p>Hinata fought down the urge to hyperventilate as she pulled into the circular driveway of her father's ridiculously ostentatious mansion just outside the confines of town. Hanabi had texted her the current code to get through the wrought-iron gate by the road, and she'd input it with badly shaking fingers.<p>

As she parked her modest little car behind her father's sleek black limousine, Hinata felt the old familiar feeling of a panic attack clawing its way up her throat. She'd spent twenty-one years of her life under her father's oppressively watchful eye, inspiring a desperate desire to get as far out of his sight as possible when she finally moved out.

Now, at twenty-seven, she felt like she was right back where she'd started. If Hanabi _did_ move in with her, Hinata knew she _would_ be right back where she'd started, because he would as good as have planted a spy in her home.

A gentle knock on the window startled Hinata out of her musings. She turned to face the smiling eye of her father's chauffeur/bodyguard, Hatake Kakashi. Pulling her keys out of the ignition, she unlocked her doors, picked up her purse, and smiled as Kakashi smoothly opened the door for her.

"Milady," said Kakashi with a little bow. Though a black mask covered the lower half of his face, the warmth in his eye not drooped shut by a scar assured Hinata he was smiling. He favored her with a wink.

Hinata smiled and lifted herself on tiptoes to hug the silver-haired man. Of all the servants on the lavish Hyuuga estate, she missed Kakashi the most. "I've missed you. How have you been doing?"

Kakashi patted her back lightly before allowing her to step back. "Oh, the usual," he said with a wave of his hand. She glimpsed a familiar dog-eared orange cover peeking out of his pocket and rolled her lips to hide her grin. So he was still a big fan of those old _Make Out_ books he'd always tried to hide from her when she was a child, citing them as "too grown-up" for her, though she'd always been a voracious reader.

"I can see that." Hinata felt the last hints of her panic attack slide away. She knew Kakashi, having recognized the signs, had stepped in to help her head it off, and was grateful for his rescue. "We'll catch up more later?"

Nodding, Kakashi stepped back to clear the way for her to head for the front door. "You caught me in the middle of washing your father's car. While you're inside, I'll wash yours, too."

"You don't have to do that!" Hinata shot a self-conscious glance at her little purple vehicle, which she'd nicknamed Old Sensible. Though her father had given her a very generous moving-away gift after she'd agreed to get a condo with Tenten (something along the lines of five hundred thousand dollars, most of which was still safely tucked away in the bank collecting dust and interest), she had wanted to buy a car: something more along the lines of what her friend drove, instead of her father.

Kakashi favored her with another wink as he strolled back toward the limo. "I insist. Now scoot, before your father comes out and asks why I'm not working for my pay." He laughed as he picked up the hose and turned a spray of water on the black car's hood.

Hinata curled her hand around a fistful of her long fern-green skirt as she headed up the stone steps to the elaborate wood-and-stained-glass double front doors. Her right foot had just come to land on the porch when the lefthand door opened. Hanabi appeared in the opening, radiating excitement in nearly tangible waves.

"Good, you're here!" she exclaimed. Stepping back to allow Hinata room to enter, she called down the long, cool tiled entryway, "Hinata's here!" in a voice loud enough to permeate every corner of the massive mansion.

Wincing, Hinata closed the door behind herself. "Inside voice, Hanabi, inside voice," she prompted.

Rolling her eyes, Hanabi led the way down the hall toward the arched doorway leading to the formal living room. Her bare feet slapped the floor, the trio of silver bracelets she wore on either wrist tinkling like wind chimes as she swung her arms. "I hope you're not going to be such a stick-in-the-mud when I move in with you, Hinata."

Stung by her sister's assessment, Hinata slid off her sandals and followed Hanabi to where their father waited. The quieter, shyer one of the siblings, Hinata had always preferred to curl up in the corner with a book than go partying (loudly) with her friends like Hanabi. Sometimes, she wondered if they were actually related. If not for the distinctive color of their eyes, confirming their heritage and shared parents, she might have given serious thought to the subject.

Hiashi stood from the couch when Hanabi and Hinata entered the room. He favored his younger daughter with a severe look - undoubtedly for her volume earlier - and his elder with a distant smile. "I'm glad you could come, Hinata."

Translation? _I'm glad you have no social life so I can monopolize your time and attention whenever I want them_.

Hinata had gotten good over the years at reading between the lines and hearing everything her father _didn't_ say. "Hello, Father." A sickening mix of anger and anxiety roiled in her stomach, making her wish Hiashi had summoned her for a more businesslike meeting instead of something so falsely familial like a meal. She wasn't sure she'd be able to choke down five bites, let alone an entire five courses.

Holding out either arm so he could escort his daughters in style, Hiashi led the trio into the smaller of the two dining rooms the house boasted. The "informal" room sat ten at the table instead of fifty, and was painted in cool, neutral tones instead of the darker, bolder colors in the formal dining room. Even at that, though, the three place settings at the table boasted what would be good china, crystal, and silver to a regular family; for Hinata's, it was the everyday, boring tableware Hiashi would be mortified to show guests.

Seating herself at her father's right hand, she looked across the table at Hanabi. The younger girl hummed softly and bobbed her head to a beat only she could hear, a broad grin on her face. Obviously, she looked forward to this meal as much as Hinata dreaded it.

Two servants silently entered the room and served the soup course, then slipped back out as quickly as they'd come. Hiashi and Hanabi dipped right in, but Hinata stared down into hers, wishing herself anywhere but here. _How do I get out of this?_ She could feign a headache and nausea (though there would be very little playacting involved), but she had a feeling even illness wouldn't deter her relatives. Her father and sister were anxious to get this business of Hanabi's change of residence settled, though for different reasons.

"Neji and Tenten's wedding is only a week or so away now," Hiashi said as he sipped at his goblet of deep, rich red wine. "I know you're scheduled to move out the last of Tenten's things while she's on honeymoon. I'm anxious to get Hanabi settled as quickly as possible, so how does moving her in two weeks from this coming Saturday - tomorrow - sound?"

Only a _week_ after the wedding? Hinata felt herself suddenly go a little lightheaded. She very carefully set down her spoon. "That _is_ fast," she said faintly.

"Of course." Hiashi took another spoonful of soup before he continued. "Hanabi is very excited, and I know you are, too. Neither of you will have to lift a finger to move things, of course. I've already arranged for a moving company to come out and do the work for you."

Hinata clenched her teeth so hard her jaw protested the sharp burst of pain. Of _course_ her father hadn't decided to discuss this with her - at least not until after he'd already arranged things to his satisfaction. She couldn't seem to unlock her jaw to get the angrily acidic words burning her mind past her lips.

Which was probably a good thing.

The soup course was removed - including Hinata's still mostly-full bowl - and a fresh, crisp garden salad was brought in. Again, Hiashi and Hanabi both partook, but Hinata merely stabbed her vegetables and moved them around. Nothing found its way to her mouth.

Hanabi set down her fork and reached for her crystal glass of iced tea. "We're going to have _so_ much fun," she said to Hinata. After a sip, she set down her glass with a thump and laughed. "It'll be like a big sleepover that never ends, or something like that!"

The panic attack Kakashi had soothed away earlier came roaring back, crawling up her esophagus just ahead of the bile threatening to rid her stomach of its meager contents. Her sister had just perfectly summed up the reason why Hinata _didn't_ want her sister there - _it would never end_.

"Of course," Hiashi interjected, a perfect cherry tomato speared on the end of his fork, "I'm going to give Hanabi a going away gift like yours, so she'll be able to buy Tenten's former half of the condo from you. It will be all nicely squared away, you see, the _i_'s dotted and _t_'s crossed."

Her stomach gave an involuntary heave. Swallowing back the hot, tight feeling in her throat, Hinata shoved back her chair, and threw her heavy white cloth napkin down atop her uneaten salad. Shivering uncontrollably, she said in a stifled voice, "I'm sorry, I think I'm sick. I need to go home." Without waiting for her father or sister to respond - which would be a while, if the stunned looks on their faces were any indication - she ran back to the front of the house, snatching up her purse and shoes on her way past.

Kakashi was just getting ready to start on Hinata's car as its owner hurried down the steps barefoot, tears in her eyes. Dropping the hose, he hurried to her, his big, gentle hands folding over her shoulders as he ducked his head to get a glimpse of her face past the screen of her hair. "Hey, Miss Hinata, are you all right? What happened in there?"

Shaking her head, Hinata fumbled her keys out of her purse and gently but firmly shrugged off Kakashi's concerned touch. Pushing past him, she ran toward her car as she called over her shoulder, "I'm sorry, Kakashi. I have to go home. I can't - I just _can't_ do this."

Throwing her purse and shoes in the passenger seat, Hinata started her car and threw it in drive with one hand as she clicked her seatbelt with the other. As she drove away from the house far faster than she technically should have, a glance in the rearview mirror showed her Kakashi's concerned posture as he stared after her.

And, in the still-open door of the house, her father standing with a thunderous expression and her sister wiping at her tear-streaked face.

But Hinata couldn't - _wouldn't_ - go back.

* * *

><p>The food was <em>great<em>.

The company? Not so much.

Sasuke zoned out and let Naruto carry the conversation while they ate. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate his friend's efforts to help him feel better; he really _did_. Naruto was a rare friend indeed, someone who stood by his comrades no matter how tough the road got.

But Sasuke was in the kind of mood where he'd much rather be alone with his thoughts and the ghosts of his historical old mansion. He was still preoccupied with wondering if the librarian had recognized him, not to mention trying not to freak out about having to make another appearance at the library - _as himself_. No disguises. No hats. Just him in all his pain-filled, antisocial glory.

"-And then Lee rode the unicycle across a rope he strung between the café and City Hall," Naruto was saying when Sasuke tuned back into the conversation.

"Uh-huh." Sasuke blinked and mentally repeated Naruto's words. "Wait, _what_ did you just say?"

Grinning impishly, Naruto took another bite of his overloaded sub and shook his head. "I knew you weren't paying attention to anything I said," he said around his mouthful. "But I figured that'd get your attention."

The scary thing was it didn't take much imagination at all for Sasuke to picture the overzealous, adventurous Rock Lee doing exactly what Naruto just described. "Well, you have my attention now." Heaven only knew what the blond nuisance would come up with if Sasuke dared space out again.

Naruto swallowed and took a long drink before he spoke again. "So, seriously - what's going on with you? Shikamaru gave me the basics, but he said I'd have to talk to you for specifics. And the way you've been sitting there staring off into space looking like someone just killed your dog, I'm guessing whatever happened, it was pretty bad."

_You don't know the half of it._ Sasuke took another bite of his own sub - a little bit of meat and a lot of tomatoes - as he pondered exactly how much of what had happened the past few days to share. Naruto was a loyal friend, but he could also be a bit of a gossip. He didn't do it deliberately - he just couldn't help himself.

"I finished _Checkmate_ the other night. Sent it to Jiraiya." Sasuke took a moment to take a drink, though it didn't do anything to help the vast desert of despair deep inside him. "He called back the next day and told me he couldn't back it. Didn't come right out and say he hated it or that it was terrible, but somehow that just makes it worse. He was nice about it. _Too_ nice." Jiraiya was kind of like Naruto: loud, and excitable, and quick to say when he didn't like something. The fact he'd been so nice to Sasuke when he said he didn't like _Checkmate_ made it clear just how _much_ he didn't like it.

Naruto frowned. "But you were so excited! What little bit you let me read made me think it was going to be your best yet."

Yes, Naruto was a very loyal friend. Sometimes to a fault. "Seriously, you don't have to say that just to be nice. For Jiraiya to be so negative about it, obviously it's a very flawed manuscript. I'm just going to have to dump it and write something else." He ran his hand through his black hair and let out his breath on a long, tired sigh. "I've written books in two months or less before. Surely I can do it again." He just had to make sure it read a _whole_ lot better than _Checkmate_.

But first, he needed an idea. And thus far, he had _nothing_.

"I'm not just being nice. It _was_ a good book." Naruto finished off his sandwich and narrowed his eyes at his friend. "And it's not like you don't have ideas, right? You're always overflowing with ideas." He sounded so confident, like Sasuke's finishing another book was as easy as pouring a glass of water.

If only it were. "I appreciate your confidence, Naruto. But it's not that easy. I don't have any ideas. And even if I did, I'm not sure I want to try to write another book. Like I told Jiraiya, it's possible I've peaked. It's possible I've already written my best stuff, and now I should just fade into obscurity." That sounded rather nice, actually. Then he could live alone and not have to worry about anyone trying to break into his house or computer.

He could just be alone with the ghosts and memories of the past.

Another frown, more severe than the first, twisted Naruto's entire face. "You have _got_ to be kidding me. You _can't_ just give up, Sasuke!" He waved his arms frantically, nearly upsetting his glass in his exuberance. "You're the best writer who's ever lived!"

_An exaggeration, to be certain._

"You've got a fanbase that stretches all over the world, and every single one of them is counting on you!"

_Not quite as much of an exaggeration, but it _is_ ego-flattering_.

Naruto pounded his fist against the tabletop, and his glass fell over, spilling mostly-melted ice cubes across the surface. "You are a _writer_, Uchiha Sasuke!" He leaped to his feet and pointed toward the kitchen doorway, his brows drawn down low over his stormy blue eyes, looking angrier than Sasuke could ever remembering seeing him. "So for your fans' sake, my sake, and _your own_ sake, for cryin' out loud, _go write something_!"

Sasuke was suitably impressed. He had no idea happy-go-lucky Naruto was capable of such an outburst. "You _really_ think I can do it?" he asked thoughtfully.

Face turning so red Sasuke half-expected smoke to pour out of his ears, Naruto thrust his finger even more emphatically toward the doorway and growled out from between his teeth, "_Write_!"

Amusement burst to life in Sasuke's chest. He smiled for the first time in what felt like half of forever. "Okay, okay, I'll go-" _try to _"-write something," he said. "Thanks for the pep talk - I think."

Looking proud of himself now, Naruto glanced down at the table. "I'll clean this up before I go. Good luck!"

"Hn." Sasuke went to his office, opened the door, and stared at his computer. He hadn't turned it on since finishing _Checkmate_; had wondered if he ever would boot it up again for that reason.

But a little of Naruto's enthusiasm had rubbed off on him. Maybe he was ready to try again. He'd gotten some really good material from what he'd read at the library, so if he pulled enough of it together, started building a foundation...

...Maybe he really _could_ write another book. It was certainly worth a try.

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ If I had a dollar for every time I've had my mother thrust my computer at me and tell me to _Write!_ at the end of a scene or chapter, I'd be rich! It's quite funny, really, and I thought it was something like Naruto would do, so I had to throw it in. I'm having such _fun_ writing this fic (because it's still not completely finished, but don't worry, I have a _huge_ cushion, so even if I decided to take a mini-hiatus writing, I'd still be able to keep updating), in ways I've never had before. I can't explain it or describe it, I just know it's there. And I really hope even half of that enjoyment is coming across to you, the readers. Because I appreciate all of you, and your support, and your kind words so very much. Thank you all so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you again for next week's update!


	6. Message

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _Kibachow_, _in your dreams as well_, _The Clawed Butterfly_, _farahb_, _Sachiko Heiwajima_, _Doddlehead_, _MuffinMan9223_, _Dani Stark_, _CrimsonNight41_, _ZukiShi_, _miemae04_, _Tamani_, _Misao97_, _rao hyuga 18_, _ariannaisgone_, _kichisaburo_, _wolf-enzeru_, and _oCloudNine_ for all your wonderful reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this to their favorites and follows lists!

**Author's Notes:** Sasuke and Hinata start encountering each other again in the next chapter. There'll still be a few chapters where they're not together, but they'll be increasingly fewer as we go on. This chapter sets up the interesting stuff, where the SasuHina developments really kick into gear. I'm so excited! Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>*~Chapter VI~*<strong>

_~Message~_

* * *

><p>When Hinata got home, she found Tenten curled up on the couch with Chinese takeout while watching of one of her favorite movies. The cheerful brunette looked up with a smile when she heard her roommate come in, but it quickly disappeared when she saw the expression on Hinata's face.<p>

Dropping her plate and chopsticks on the table with a clatter, Tenten jumped up and ran to grasp Hinata's shoulders. "What happened?"

Angrily swiping at the tears spilling down her cheeks, Hinata shook her head. "I ran out." She could still hardly believe she'd done such a thing. In the past, no matter how mad or upset her father made her, she'd _never_ left the table until the meal was over and she'd been excused. No matter how painful, she'd stuck things out until the bitter end.

But not tonight. She'd finally snapped. She cringed to think what her father would have to say about her behavior. It was not going to be pleasant.

In her purse, which she'd tossed onto the credenza next to the coatrack beside the door, Hinata's phone played a distinctive, slightly ominous-sounding ringtone. Both women froze, knowing to which person specifically Hinata had assigned the song.

Tenten's lips thinned in disapproval. She let go of Hinata's shoulders and stormed toward her friend's bag. "I'll get it," she said. "I've got a few choice words I'd like to say to him."

Broken out of her momentary paralyzed state, Hinata hurried after Tenten and took the phone from her friend's hand before she could answer it. "It's all right," she said softly, even though things were far from it. "I'll talk to him. I deserve it." Without waiting for her friend's response, she answered her phone and lifted it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hyuuga Hinata, what is the matter with you?" Hiashi's harsh voice held every bit of the doom and disapproval she'd expected, plus a healthy dose of aggravation for flavor.

Her fingers tightened around the phone. She fought to keep her voice even as she spoke again. "This is my condo, Father. Once Tenten moves out, I plan to live in it by myself - at least for a while." For some reason, she found it easier to tell Hiashi what she wanted over the phone, when she didn't have to look him in the face.

"If you remember," Hiashi said icily, "_my_ money paid for that condo."

"For my half," Hinata replied calmly. "I used my own money to pay for Tenten's." She'd saved up for several years to afford it, and now she was glad she had. "And I will gladly pay you back the original cost of my half of the condo. But I'm sorry, I don't want Hanabi living with me." There, she'd finally said it. It was out in the open, and she couldn't take it back - didn't _want_ to take it back.

For a long moment, the sound of Hiashi trying to control his aggravated breathing was the only hint her father was still on the line. At last he said in an even colder tone, "I'll not tolerate any impertinence from you, Hinata. Now, your sister has had her heart set on this for a very long time. Are you really going to disappoint her?"

_The only reason why Hanabi was looking forward to this is because you gave her false hope by not talking to _me_ first about all of this._ Much as she wanted to say to the words to her father, they stuck in her throat. Instead she said as firmly as she could manage, "If you give me the number, I will call the moving service and have them cancel the appointment." It was an olive branch of sorts, the only one she felt like extending.

Her father took it and snapped it in half over his knee. "Young lady, I extended quite a bit of trust and grace to you when I allowed you to move out of this house. Your sister needs to receive the same kind of treatment, but I cannot trust her on her own. You are the only person I _can_ trust to keep her in line. Do you not see the privilege I am placing upon your shoulders?"

On the verge of screaming in frustration, Hinata felt tears - hot, angry tears - flood her eyes. _Privilege? Trust and grace?_ Her father didn't know the meaning of the words. _And you're delusional if you think she's going to listen to _me.

Distantly, her mind registered a knock on the door. Tenten, who had been standing watching her friend with a worried expression, hurried to answer it. Hinata turned her head and saw Neji standing at the front door, his warm smile fading when he caught the expressions on his cousin's and fiancée's faces. Tenten lifted herself on her tiptoes and whispered something into his ear, an urgent expression on her face.

Turning away from the door so Neji and Tenten wouldn't see the tears spilling down her face, she tuned back in to her father's ongoing, very practiced-sounding speech. "...needs your guiding hand in her life. You have conducted yourself quite admirably in your life away from home - at least until now. But I'm willing to overlook this little hiccup if you agree to do what's best for yourself and your sister."

With a sense of trying to resist an irresistable force, Hinata said, "This condo is _my_ home. And-"

Before she could say anything more, the phone suddenly disappeared from her hand. She turned in surprise and saw Neji standing behind her, lifting her phone to his ear. "Hello, Uncle," he said smoothly.

Hinata blinked at him in surprise, not sure whether she should be angry at him for interrupting her or if she should hug him for saving her from any more of her father's manipulative nonsense.

Neji's expression remained quite bland as he listened. Hinata could hear Hiashi's voice on the other end of the line, though she couldn't make out what he was saying. She exchanged a raised-eyebrow look with Tenten, then the two women resumed watching Neji.

Her cousin had been the first to break free from Hiashi's tight-fisted grasp on his family. An orphan at four, Neji had been taken in and raised by his uncle. But during his senior year of high school, the young man had gone against his uncle's wishes and applied to several colleges halfway across the country - and received admissions letters from five of the seven he'd contacted. He'd chosen the same one at which Tenten got accepted. Then when he came home from college, he got his own apartment and moved in.

Though Hiashi hadn't out-and-out disowned his nephew, he'd made it clear Neji was no longer welcome in his home. It hadn't seemed to bother Neji in the least. After Hinata got her own condo with her cousin's girlfriend, she had been able to see her cousin as much as she wanted. It worked out well for all three of them.

The fact that Neji was now on her side of the fight made real hope begin to stir in her chest. She'd been looking up to her cousin as an example for years now, and she planned to follow in his footsteps to the best of her ability.

Neji's eyes narrowed slightly at something Hiashi said. He looked at Hinata and mouthed to her, "Won't let it go."

She'd expected that. "You can give me back the phone. It's all right," she mouthed in reply.

Holding up one finger, Neji silently shook his head and spoke. "I think it would be best to let this situation rest for the moment, Uncle. This is a decision that should not be taken lightly, or made upon a moment's whim. There are several angles to consider, and I think everyone should take a few days to think things over, very carefully considering all those angles before meeting again and discussing them calmly and rationally with an open mind."

Hinata wanted to jump up and down and let out an excited shout. Her cousin should have been a diplomat: he'd just bought her a few days' time to think up some good counter-arguments and _really_ prepare herself to fight for her cause. She'd not had the benefit of such a thing when she'd gone in for dinner, but next time, she'd be ready.

"Good night, Uncle. Thank you." Neji hung up her phone and handed it back to her with a grim smile. "He's not happy, but he finally agreed. Sorry I stole your phone from you like that. I hate it when Uncle drives you into these corners." His lips and eyes tightened with disapproval.

"No, don't apologize." Hinata slid her phone into her skirt pocket and let out a long, shaky breath. "Thank you for taking over for me and talking to him. I wasn't getting anywhere. At the rate things were going, I would have been on the phone with him for the rest of the night and _still_ not gotten anything resolved. I'm just sorry you took this on now, with your wedding only eight days away."

Neji shook his head. Tenten stepped up beside him and looped her arm through his as she said, "We're both on your side, Hinata. And we want you to be able to come and be part of the wedding without such a stressful thing on your shoulders. I know I'm counting on you quite a bit - probably too much - as my maid of honor. This is supposed be a joyous and enjoyable time for all of us, _including_ you, and we don't want anything to spoil it."

Stepping forward, Hinata wrapped her arms around both her cousin and best friend, and hugged them tightly. "Thank you," she whispered. More tears stung her eyes, but these were the good kind. "With both of you on my side, I don't see how I can possibly lose now.

* * *

><p>Sasuke heard water running in the kitchen, then the sound of plates, cutlery, and glasses rattling together. Eventually the sound of the front door opening and shutting reached him.<p>

Finally, he was alone.

Leaning back in his chair, Sasuke tilted his head back and closed his eyes. He mentally reviewed everything he could remember about the research he'd done earlier in the day, allowing his mind to drift from topic to topic as he waited for something to strike his fancy.

Bits and pieces stirred his interest, but only because he wanted to read more. While writing the last half or so of _Checkmate_, another idea had teased at the back of his mind. It had definitely leaned more toward horror than thriller - more than any other book he'd ever written - but now he couldn't remember it.

Rubbing his hands over his face, Sasuke scowled and tried even harder to call it back to mind. He was getting downright desperate. He needed an idea. _Now_. Both Jiraiya and Naruto seemed determined he could salvage his career. Maybe he was just "thrillered out" and a change of genre would prime the creative pump.

He began mentally flipping through various possibilities. Okay, so if he couldn't write what he usually did, where else could he go? Anything biographical was out, because those things tended to bore him to tears. Ditto anything autobiographical, though Jiraiya had hinted a time or three that people would be interested in reading about what made their favorite author tick. But his life was _not_ an open book, and he very firmly preferred to keep it that way.

Perhaps nonficition, then. He'd certainly learned plenty on a variety of subjects over his time researching. From the darkly morbid writings of Edgar Allen Poe to a myriad of serial killers, Sasuke had logged hundreds of hours of research on a variety of black subjects. He thought he could consider himself well-read and at least knowledgeable, if not an expert, on many of them. But not, his innate honesty forced him to admit, knowledgeable enough on any to expound on them at length. No, nonfiction didn't really appeal. He didn't mind reading nonfiction for the benefit of research, but the idea of sitting down and writing one himself made Sasuke want to tear his hair out from the roots. How incredibly _b-o-r-i-n-g._

It was probably safer for him to go the fiction route.

So what was left? There was the mystery genre, naturally, but Sasuke felt it was a little too close to thrillers for him to try. Too much chance of him trailing off into familiar territory, revisiting ground he'd already covered.

Fantasy? He enjoyed several fantasy series: everything from Narnia to tales of hobbits and rings to an ever-shifting Faerie wood painted in shades of light and dark. But he couldn't really see himself penning one.

Romance? _Definitely_ not. Though he sometimes added in a touch of romance in his books, he shuddered at the thought of making a living off the genre. Didn't, in fact, think he could, even if he wanted to. The whole idea was just - ugh.

Supernatural? _Hmm_. That had some potential. Though vampires had certainly been _done to death_ in recent years, there were plenty of other things he could dive into. Ghosts, for one. He didn't necessarily _believe_ such a thing existed. He'd certainly never encountered one himself. But the idea seemed to take root in his mind. He remembered seeing several books on the topic at the library earlier. He hadn't looked at any of them, but the material was there.

Would it be enough, though? He _needed_ a new book. A great one. One unlike any he'd ever written before...

...No, wait. _Checkmate_ was unlike anything he'd ever written before, and it had turned into an unmitigated _disaster_. No, best he stick with what he knew best and go from there. Now was _not_ the time to experiment. Not after what happened last time.

Sitting up straight in his chair again, Sasuke settled his hands on the keyboard and then flexed his fingers slightly, but not enough to put any pressure on a key. The smooth white background of the open word doc invited him to put down his thoughts, but the blinking cursor mocked him for not having any thoughts to write.

_Think this through rationally. One step at a time. You know how this process works._

He drew in a deep breath, cleared his mind of everything but the issue at hand.

For years now, since the very beginning of his career, he'd written thrillers. It was his niche, the thing which had made him famous. Occasionally Sasuke wandered over toward the horror genre, and for that reason he'd earned praise - and fan followings - from both genres. People liked how he could so seamlessly combine the two in such a, as one reviewer had phrased it, "frighteningly, deliciously realistic way." He liked to keep his readers guessing while at the same time giving them healthy amounts of (as Jiraiya so eloquently put it) blood and guts.

Still, though, he had to wonder. Had he really, truly exhausted his repertoire with the thriller/horror novels? Despite penning a total of twelve (thirteen if he counted _Checkmate_, which Sasuke didn't - too painful), it was what he _did_, the natural direction in which his thoughts turned. He'd successfully combined the thriller and horror genres before. Maybe now, with that tiny pulsing of an incipient idea in his brain, he could do a thriller with supernatural overtones.

_Hmm._ Sasuke turned his head as Ninja nosed the door to the office open the rest of the way and pattered in, his rope toy dangling from his jaws. Smiling, the human grabbed the other end of the toy and tugged obligingly as Ninja growled playfully low in his throat and pulled in the opposite direction.

His dog was a hundred pounds of pure muscle and bone, and Sasuke enjoyed the challenge of a good game of tug. While he played with his overgrown pup, he allowed his mind to wander back to the shelves at the library and what he'd seen there. Yes, he'd observed plenty of material to support research for this newest topic.

The only problem? He'd have to go back to the library. Sasuke wasn't sure he wanted to try out sitting in the corner again, especially since he'd so easily lost track of the librarian while he was back there. If she wandered around too much during his researching, she could stumble upon him.

On the other hand, that endeavor made it less likely for him to run into someone than the other alternative, which would be to renew his library card and check out stacks of books. Sasuke was guaranteed to have to come into contact with the curious librarian.

Unless...

Sasuke got the rope away from Ninja, momentarily celebrated, then initiated another game. Maybe he could talk one of his friends into checking the books out for him. He figured Naruto would probably do it, especially if Sasuke told him it was for research for his newest novel. All he'd have to do was go to the library's website and write down the titles and authors of the books he wanted.

Two birds with one stone. He could get his research material and not even have to leave the comfort of his own home.

Continuing to play tug with his right hand, Sasuke reached for his phone with his left. Just as his fingertips touched it where it lay atop the desk, it buzzed with an incoming call.

He glanced at the digital time readout: eight-o'clock.

He stared at the caller ID: Jiraiya.

Swallowing hard, Sasuke answered the phone. "What's going on?"

Jiraiya sounded extremely happy when he replied. "Good news, my boy, good news! I talked to Tsunade at the library this morning - well, more like this morning _and_ afternoon, the woman had a million questions. I think she wants to cover all contingencies just in case."

Sasuke closed his eyes and fought the urge to sigh. _This must mean everything's arranged._

Sure enough, Jiraiya continued, "It's all set up. Over the next three weeks, you'll be going to the library every Wednesday night between the hours of seven and eight. The first night will be a meet and greet. The second will include an in-depth discussion of your books, and the last will be a book signing."

"Oh, only three weeks?" Sasuke didn't even try to keep the sarcasm from his tone. Couldn't Jiraiya have talked the crazy lady down to only one session? He would have even been willing to go in a couple hours in one night, just so long as it was only _one night_.

"Don't worry about that - if everything goes well with this arrangement, we've left the door open for more!" Jiraiya couldn't have sounded more pleased.

_Wonderful_. Sasuke wished he'd kept his big mouth shut. Letting go of the rope, he squeezed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, ignoring Ninja's accusatory _you let me win!_ look. "Let's just get through the first three, all right?" Already, he felt his breath beginning to shorten, his limbs tremble, his throat close.

He didn't want to do this. _At all_. Why had he ever agreed to this nonsense, anyway?

"It will be fine, my boy. Trust me." Jiraiya was quiet for a long moment, and then, almost reluctantly, he asked, "Do you want me to fly out there and attend them with you?"

Sasuke felt hope and surprise stir equally in his chest. He'd only met his literary agent in person three times - the first when Jiraiya came to meet with him and woo him into signing on as his client; then at the actual signing of the contract; and finally at the premiere of a movie based on Sasuke's fourth novel, _Metronome_. In some ways, Jiraiya was just as antisocial as Sasuke. The latter had a feeling that was a lot of why they got along so well. The mere fact the older man was willing to fly from New York City to Konoha - halfway across the continent - not once but thrice spoke volumes.

"Maybe just the first time." Sasuke hated himself for the weakness, but he needed someone with him. Someone he trusted, who understood. "After that, I think I'll be okay."

"Of course. I'll see you this coming Tuesday, then, Sasuke." Jiraiya sounded okay with the deal, as if he didn't mind dropping everything to fly out to a town no one had ever heard of to support his coward of a famous writer.

"I'll see you then. And Jiraiya?"

"Yeah?"

Sasuke closed his eyes and tried to smile, even though he wanted to scream. "Thanks."

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ Some of you seem to like the slower pace of this story, and some of you don't. This is a longer story than some of my others (like _Blind Faith_ and _Coffee Connections_), so the pace _is_ going to move a bit slower. Everything that happens will still be important to the plot - I'm not writing nonsense to fill space just for the sake of filling space and to make things last longer. I have a plan, one I'm _really_ excited about. Sasuke and Hinata _do_ encounter each other again in the next chapter, though, I can promise. And while there'll still be a few chapters in the future where they won't, they'll be fewer than here at the beginning. I can promise if you'll just please hang with me, it'll be worth the wait. I've got such exciting things in store for you as I build up Sasuke and Hinata's relationship and bring them together. Thank you all so much for reading this far, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you again for next week's update!

_**Additional Author's Note:**_ I am adding this little note in because I have gotten several reviews left for the express reason of pointing out that Hinata is OOC. I already know this, and _that _is_ the point_. Hinata is under an _incredible_ amount of stress, and she is starting to reach the point where she is going to start reacting in ways she ordinarily wouldn't. I am not writing this story to make Hinata into a jerk, I am simply showing that she is a normal person who has been told repeatedly she is stupid and been made fun of by various people over the course of her life (including her own father), and everything is finally coming to a head now. _Everyone_ eventually reaches a point where they cannot take the stress anymore and have no choice but to break or go insane, and Hinata has reached that point. Please stop leaving reviews _just_ to point this out, because I already know it and am writing it that way _for a reason_. Thank you.


	7. Research

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _Sachiko Heiwajima_, _NeverInUrWildestDreams_, _MuffinMan9223_, _wolf-enzeru_, _Kibachow_, _Tamani_, _oCloudNine_, _kichisaburo_, _CrimsonNight41_, _lilshadow lover_, _Dani Stark_, and _stasoft_ for all your wonderful reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this to their favorites and follows lists - I love seeing new alerts in my e-box!

**Author's Note:** And finally we reach the chapter with the most SasuHina interaction yet! Eek, I'm so excited about this chapter, so I'll just let you all dive right in. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter VII~*<strong>

_~Research~_

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><p>Over the course of the weekend, Sasuke managed to gather up enough courage to revisit the library on Monday. Again, he came in at the very beginning of the slump hours between one and five, his trusty cap pulled firmly down over his eyes, soft-soled shoes on his feet, and the collar of his baggy jacket pulled up past his jawline.<p>

As he skulked past the (thankfully empty) desk by the entrance, a brightly-colored poster caught his eye. Sasuke almost passed it up before he noticed it; doing a double take, he found himself staring at a blown-up picture from the back of his novels, accompanied by an advertisement (in ridiculously large letters) about his appearances at the library for the next three Wednesdays.

It was enough to make him tempted to turn around, walk right out of the library, then return to his home to call Jiraiya and cancel.

But Sasuke knew he'd been enough of a coward recently. He'd come to the library to do research for his next book, and he wasn't leaving until he'd found enough good material to at least partially construct a plot outline. If he could do that, he could stay away from the library until his first official appearance Wednesday.

He would wait to see how that went before he decided for sure to come back for further research, or to go for the Naruto option.

Sasuke heard the soft sound of books sliding against shelves down the _Romance_ aisle, and schlepped past quickly before ducking down _Nonfiction_. He remembered exactly where the supernatural books were from his last visit, so it didn't take him long to pull down the most promising ones, and a few more besides.

Then he returned to his corner and settled in, books stacked neatly beside him, fully-charged laptop balanced across his legs. Cradling each book in turn in his left hand, he scanned them and typed with his right any time something sparked even a hint of stimulation.

Like a blanket, the comfortable weight of inspiration settled on his shoulders. He smiled as he read and typed, feeling ideas stirring and starting to link together. The ideas were still relatively small, all things considered, but they were a start. And, at least for now, it would be enough to get the creative juices flowing.

The sound of his name being spoken jarred Sasuke out of his groove. He froze, eyes peeking out from beneath the bill of his cap, wondering if someone had spotted him. But when he didn't see shoes and legs in front of him, and the voice spoke again at a distance, he realized it was someone speaking to the librarian at the front of the building.

"Does he really look like that in real life?" The voice was female, slightly high-pitched, and nothing at all like he imagined a fan of his books would sound.

A familiar voice replied - the same librarian who had startled him on his last visit. "I don't know. I've never actually met the man. But he does look rather macabre, doesn't he?"

The picture on the dust jackets hadn't been Sasuke's idea. Jiraiya had seen the sheathed katana over the mantle of the fireplace in Sasuke's living room, and he'd immediately come up with the idea of Sasuke standing in front of a blood-splattered white wall, the katana draped over his shoulders, blood spattering his clothes and face and everything else. He hadn't liked the idea from the beginning - even less so once he saw the picture - but Jiraiya assured him it would be a good selling point.

Sometimes Sasuke found himself holding one of his books, staring at the author picture, trying to find a trace of himself somewhere in the grotesque figure grinning back at him.

He had yet to do so.

"Maybe a little," the higher-pitched voice said, drawing Sasuke's attention back to the conversation at the front of the library. "So he's going to be here, then? The next three Wednesdays?"

"Yes. This Wednesday is a meet and greet, the next is a discussion of his books, and the last is a book signing. Would you like me to sign you up to be present for one or all of them?" The librarian sounded so cool and professional.

"Yes, please." The other woman's voice had too much breathiness and excitement for her to sound cool _or_ professional. "I'll see you Wednesday, okay, Hinata?"

"I've got you signed up. You're lucky - there are only five spaces left. See you then, Sakura."

_Hinata._ So he finally had a name for the librarian. From what little he'd seen of her the other day, it seemed to fit.

Shaking his head to free himself from his irrelevent musings, Sasuke turned back to his research. He had a job to do, and not a whole lot of time in which to do it. He'd best get busy and take advantage of what time he had.

* * *

><p>Those creepy red eyes in the poster behind her bored holes into her back. Hinata could almost stake money on the possibility that if she turned around, she'd catch them blinking at her.<p>

The fine hair on the back of her neck prickled uncomfortably. Hinata shifted in her seat for the third time in as many minutes. _I wish I'd scattered out my reshelving duties instead of doing it all at once. But who could blame me for wanting to stay away from that creepy poster? He looks like he's going to step out and slaughter me right here at the desk._

Quiet enveloped the library since Sakura left. Even Tsunade, sequestered in her office, was quiet for once. Hinata had found her boss's gloating over securing _three_ appearances for Sasuke amusing until the blonde came out with the huge poster of the image from the back of the man's books.

A clunking sound from her right alerted Hinata something had just been dropped in the overnight returns. Cheered at the thought of being able to get out of the poster's sightline, even for a moment, Hinata popped to her feet and hurried over to lift the lid of the big metal bin. She bent to pull out the three books lying at the bottom.

When Hinata got a glimpse of the titles of two and the back cover of the other, she nearly dropped them again. _Uchiha's books!_ Of course. The library, although of a modest size, still had almost ten thousand books from which to choose. But the most popular ones to be checked out by a landslide? Uchiha Sasuke's books.

Quietly grinding her teeth, Hinata quickly checked the books in and half-tossed them on the cart to be returned to the shelf later. It seemed like no matter _where_ in the library she went, she couldn't escape the man and his creepy eyes!

Taking another sip of tea from the bottle she hid under the desk, Hinata glanced at her watch and wished it was closer to quitting time. Not only did she still have a million last-minute wedding details to help Tenten with, she still wasn't sure how to convince her father moving Hanabi in with her was a _very bad_ _idea_. Add to that Tsunade had called all hands on deck for Wednesday night for Sasuke's first appearance, she felt like her plate was overloaded and getting ready to spill.

It would be very messy indeed when it did.

Over the next hour, only three people came in: a teenage boy who wanted reference materials for a summer class he was taking; a middle-aged man wanting a stack of mystery novels; and an elderly woman...

"Excuse me, dearie. But I can't seem to find the books I'm looking for."

Hinata looked up from her computer screen at Chiyo, a new resident who had just moved to Konoha a few weeks before. "I'll come help you look," she said promptly. Relishing the temporary freedom from the Uchiha poster's glaring eyes, she rounded the desk and followed the surprisingly spry old woman to the supernatural nonfiction section.

"Here, see?" Chiyo pointed to several empty slots on the shelf. "All three books I'm looking for aren't there. Are they checked out?"

Besides the three Chiyo was looking for, Hinata noticed six more besides that weren't where they belonged. "I don't remember anyone checking them out, but if you'll please give me a moment, I'll go check." She went back to the desk and did a quick search of the list of checked-out items, wondering if the other woman who worked at the library on Hinata's days off had checked them out to someone.

Nothing. According to the computer, all nine books should still be on the shelf.

"Just a moment, please!" Hinata called to Chiyo, not worried about raising her voice since the two of them were the only ones in the main part of the library. She checked under her desk, on all the reshelving carts, on the shelf where they kept holds, and even popped back to the office to see if Tsunade had pulled them for some reason.

Nothing. The books had simply vanished.

A chill rushed down her spine. Hinata felt she was firmly rooted in reality and didn't believe in ghosts (or vampires, or werewolves, or any other supernatural nonsense), but the fact _nine_ books on the supernatural had disappeared right from beneath her nose gave her a very strange feeling.

She glared up at the spooky poster of Uchiha and planted her hands on her hips. "This is all your fault," she muttered. Returning to the aisle where Chiyo still patiently waited as she browsed, Hinata said, "I'm so sorry about that. It appears the books are missing, but if you like, as soon as we find them I can give you a call. I'll place a hold on them, too, to make sure you're the first one to get them as soon as they're found."

Holding up the stack of books cradled in her left arm, Chiyo smiled warmly and said, "No hurry, dear. I have plenty here to keep me occupied till then, but I appreciate your trying so hard to find them."

After (properly) checking out the books Chiyo wanted and wishing her a good day, Hinata fisted her hands on her hips again and looked around what part of the library she could see. The books _had_ to be in the building somewhere. They couldn't have grown legs and walked out of the building, and she _knew_ no one could have carried them out without her knowing about it.

Or at least she was ninety-nine percent certain they hadn't.

Shiho hadn't been working at the library long, so it was possible she'd placed the books on the wrong shelf. Hinata determinedly moved from behind the desk and went to scan the shelves, looking for the missing nine books, as well as anything else which wasn't in the right place.

All the gaps she found belonged to books she knew for sure where checked out - either because she remembered checking them out for people or she'd seen them on the list earlier. Humming softly under her breath, Hinata ran her finger along the edges of the shelves as she searched. The library had had occasional problems with theft in the past, but not such a _large_ quantity. And not on Hinata's watch.

While Hinata perused the romance shelves, her friend Aburame Shino came in to pick up the holds he'd placed over the weekend. She checked the stack of bug books out, then chatted with him for a few minutes before he left and she resumed her search.

_Come out, come out, wherever you are_, she mentally sang, beginning to feel her eyes cross. She'd been hoping the books were reshelved in the adult section, but she only had two more aisles to search there. If they didn't turn up, she'd have to look in the children/young adults section, and there was less than an hour to go until the library got busy again at five. Undoubtedly she wouldn't have another chance to look until after it closed at eight.

She didn't like the idea of staying late, but she would do it to make sure the books were found. Frowning, Hinata rounded the corner-

-And startled at the sight of the same capped figure she'd seen at the library last week. "Hey!" she cried involuntarily.

The boy jumped, dropping the stack of books he'd been precariously cradling in his left arm as he reached up to put the one in his right hand on the shelf. As they tumbled to the floor, Hinata caught the sight of several of the titles:

They all matched the missing books, and she realized she stood at the head of the supernatural aisle.

"It was _you_!" Hinata slammed her hands onto her hips and strode down the aisle toward the boy, who backed up a few hasty steps as she approached. "A patron came in earlier today looking for several of those books, and I've spent the last _two hours_ trying to find those, and the rest!" She jabbed her finger at the books scattered at her feet.

Tugging at the brim of his cap, the man (for the deep voice that came out of his mouth couldn't possibly belong to a boy as she first thought) said, "I'm sorry. I was just sitting back here where it's quiet doing some reading. I didn't mean to make you go to so much extra work." He pulled at his cap again, then knelt and started hurriedly gathering up the books he'd dropped.

Hinata gathered handfuls of her colorful broomstick skirt and knelt across from him. "It's all right," she said, feeling her temper cool. Shiho hadn't shelved them wrong, and they hadn't been stolen. She'd caught this man in the process of putting them back, and he acted apologetic rather than belligerent, so she felt badly about going off on him. "I'm sorry I blew up at you like that. It's been - something of a stressful week, I guess you could say."

Tucking another book on top of the stack on his arm, the stranger said from beneath the bill of his cap, "But the week just started."

"Yes, I know. But things from the last one carried over into this." Picking up the last book, Hinata rose and reached up to start sorting out the ones Chiyo wanted. "It's still no excuse for going off on you like that."

When he didn't respond, she glanced over to find him staring at the hem of her skirt. Blushing, she twitched it and instinctively tucked her left foot behind her right, knowing he must have gotten a glimpse of what she always tried so hard to hide when she knelt or stood. Turning away, she pressed her lips together tightly and went back to her job, holding out another of the three Chiyo had been looking for. _Stop staring at me, stop staring at me, stop staring at me..._

She sensed him move, and heard the soft _thunk_ of books on the shelf as he took care of his stack. "I'm sorry about that," he said again. "I- I'll let you know if I pull down any more, okay?"

Hinata nodded. "I appreciate it. Did you want me to check out any books for you? Another patron wants these three, but the others should be available if you want to take them home." And then she wouldn't have to worry about any more vanishing, and then reappearing.

Tugging at the brim of his cap yet again, the man shook his head. "No thanks." He hitched his shoulder as if to hide his profile from her as he slid past her and headed toward the door. "Have a good evening, Hinata."

She trailed him as far as the front desk. "You too!" she called. Setting down the bottom two books, she swiped the first one under the scanner and reached for the mouse to click the "hold" option which popped up.

Then promptly dropped the book when she realized the stranger had called her by name as he left - and she'd forgotten to put on her name tag this morning as she left home. Jerking her head up to look at the closed door, she clutched the edge of the desk and wondered breathlessly, _Just who _are_ you?_

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ Eek, I've been waiting to get to this chapter! The most SasuHina interaction yet - and I promise it just grows from here. I had such fun writing their encounter, and what could Sasuke have possibly spotted on Hinata's ankle, hmm? I promise you'll find out soon - in the next chapter, as a matter of fact! A few people have voiced curiosity about Naruto and what he does for a living - he's not a writer, too, but since it won't be too long before you find out, I'll give you a clue: He works in the family business. I don't want to give out _too_ big a spoiler, so I'll leave it at that for now. I hope you all have a safe and Happy Halloween, thanks for reading this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope to see you all agian for next week's update!


	8. Encounter

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _Sachiko Heiwajima_, _NeverInUrWildestDreams_, _MuffinMan9223_, _CrimsonNight41_, _Renoa Heartilly_, _wolf-enzeru_, _BlueSmilez_, _stasoft_, _rao hyuga 18_, _Sun_, and _Tamani_ for all your wonderful reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this story to their favorites and follows lists - you all are incredible!

**Author's Note:** Hee-hee, I've been waiting for this chapter! Finally, the two get to meet face to face for the first time. This is gonna be _fun_! Hope you all enjoy, and thanks for reading!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter VIII~*<strong>

_~Encounter~_

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><p>Sasuke had just put a couple of steaks on the grill when his front doorbell rang. Smiling, he went in the back patio door, across the living room, then down the hall to the front door to answer it, already knowing who was on the other side. Ninja, who began barking upon hearing the doorbell, stood next to the door on high alert, until a word from his master quieted him.<p>

After being reintroduced to Ninja, Jiraiya grinned broadly at Sasuke. "Are you ready for tomorrow night, my boy?" His booming voice was probably audible all the way down the hill into town, but for once, Sasuke didn't mind.

"As I'll ever be." Stepping back, Sasuke let Jiraiya into the house before closing the door behind him. "I just put the steaks on the grill - your timing is impeccable as always."

Setting down his suitcase and briefcase, Jiraiya shrugged his massive shoulders. "The plane was actually on time for once," he said. As if a plane would _ever_ dare run late for him! "I already had my rental car ready to go when I got to the airport, and traffic was light all the way here."

Sasuke suspected Jiriaya had also broken several speed limits and driven like he was in New York City, but he didn't say so. "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you, too." Jiraiya followed Sasuke through the house to the back deck, where he stood with his hands on his hips as he surveyed the wide expanse of lawn.

Sasuke leaned against the railing and watched as Ninja jumped off the deck and took off across the grass, taking a moment now and then to pick up a toy and shake it before dropping it and running off again. "Thanks for coming all the way out here. I'll feel better having you with me tomorrow."

"No problem, no problem." Jiraiya waved his hand as if he'd come from across town instead of halfway across the country. It was things like these which made Sasuke appreciate having the large white-haired man as his agent; he tended to go above and beyond the call of duty for every single one of his authors. "It's so peaceful out here. I'm a country boy at heart, and sometimes I think living in the big city has made me forget some of the finer things in life. I always enjoy coming out to visit you."

Conveniently not mentioning this was only the third time Jiraiya had done so, Sasuke lifted the top of the grill to check the steaks. Out in the yard, Ninja stopped and pricked his ears, nose twitching as he stared in the direction of the grill, pink tongue lolling out of his mouth longingly. "I really do think I'm ready for tomorrow night."

"Really?" Jiraiya helped himself to one of the drinks sitting on ice in the cooler by the back door. "What made you change your mind?"

Sasuke closed the lid and rubbed his free hand across his mouth, wondering how much he should say. It wasn't so much his fans he looked forward to seeing, but the librarian he'd so closely encountered yesterday. With her long, blue black hair, large lavender eyes, pale skin, and floaty clothes, Hinata had kind of reminded Sasuke of a pixie or elf from one of the fantasy novels in which he occasionally indulged. But it wasn't her appearance - at least, not her obvious appearance - which interested him so.

It was the glimpse of the sunflower tattoo on her ankle which she'd so hurriedly hidden when she saw him noticing it. The blush which stained her cheeks had been quite becoming. The fact she looked just as stressed as he was, and hadn't seemed to recognize him at all, made him feel a little bolder.

He couldn't remember ever feeling so fascinated about someone in his life. Granted, Sasuke didn't really socialize that much, but the few times he did, he'd been in a hurry to get away. But he'd actually found himself _wanting_ to linger at the library and talk to Hinata some more. It was kind of scary, really, finding that out about himself. He wasn't a people person...

...But apparently he was a _Hinata_ person.

"It's a girl, isn't it?" Jiraiya squinted at Sasuke over the top of his can. "I'd know that look anywhere. You're in love." He sounded surprised yet pleased.

Snatching up his own half-empty can, Sasuke scowled at the top of the grill and muttered, "You don't know what you're talking about." And yet the image of that sunflower tat on her slender ankle still teased the back of his mind... He just couldn't get rid of it, no matter how hard he tried.

And yes, he had tried very hard.

...A couple of times.

Ninja came back up onto the deck, stopping for an obligatory scratch from Jiraiya before going to lie down at Sasuke's feet. Undoubtedly, he was hoping his master would accidentally-deliberately drop some of the meat he was grilling. "Not going to happen, boy," Sasuke muttered, setting down his can again without taking a drink. "You've got your own food inside. Go eat it."

Jiraiya grinned, a suspicious glint in his eyes. "You're avoiding my question. That means I'm right. You've _met_ someone!" He glanced over his shoulder, as if he could see through the house, down the hill, and into town. "Who is she? What does she do? And, most importantly, _how_ did she catch your eye when you stay holed up in here as if you're expecting the zombie apocalypse?"

Sasuke clenched his jaw and resisted the surprisingly childish urge to roll his eyes. "I don't stay here _all_ the time," he said defensively. "I go out occasionally to get groceries, or eat out, or-"

"Always in disguise, though." Jiraiya's eyes suddenly widened. "Don't tell me she doesn't even _realize_ who you_ are_? Are you lying to her?" He looked shocked.

"No, she doesn't realize who I am, and _no_, I'm not lying to her." Sasuke slammed open the lid of the grill again, wishing he could flip Jiraiya over the flames along with the meat.

"I _knew_ it! There is a girl." Jiraiya leaned back against the railing again, making sure Sasuke saw his smug grin before taking another drink.

And of _course_ Sasuke had walked neatly into his agent's trap. "She's the librarian. I - uh - caused her a little bit of trouble by pulling some books from the shelf without telling her. I didn't leave the premises with them, but someone came in looking for them and she thought they were lost. She found me putting them back. And we talked for a minute." Mostly she talked and he ogled her tattoo.

She just didn't strike him as the type to _have_ a tattoo. He was dying to know the story behind it. He liked having things tied up in a nice neat little bow and knowing the entire story. He was an author, so he had plenty of ideas about why she had it; it just seriously bothered him that he didn't know the _real_ reason.

"And it was love at first sight?" Jiraiya sounded positively _gleeful_. He was enjoying this way too much.

"Of course not. There's no such thing." But Sasuke had a feeling there was, because there was no other name for the feelings which had slammed straight into his chest. He hadn't paid that much attention to her the first time he saw her, but this time he'd paid far _too_ much attention to her. Now he couldn't get her out of his head.

And, ironically, every time he tried to come up with the hero for his new book, the character always morphed into a hero_ine_ who bore a rather striking resemblance to Hinata the librarian.

"I can't wait to see her tomorrow." Jiraiya set aside his now-empty can, his expression thankfully businesslike. "Speaking of tomorrow, I thought we'd get to the library early so we can talk to that Senju woman, familiarize ourselves with the place, and get settled before people start showing up. That all right with you?"

Under ordinary circumstances, Sasuke would insist on showing up late and sneaking in the back door. But that one little sunflower tattoo foolishly had him agreeing to his agent's plan without even sparing a thought to arguing.

Oh, he was in big, _big_ trouble.

* * *

><p>Hinata wrinkled her nose as she put another of the library's copies of Uchiha Sasuke's book on the display Tsunade told her to put together in the activities room. She knew a lot of people would probably already own copies, but Tsunade wanted the library's copies close at hand just in case a few people showed up who didn't.<p>

Scattered among the display were items straight out of a horror movie. All the prop knives, and skulls, and other macabre paraphernalia they used to decorate for Halloween lay scattered artistically across the tabletop, and Hinata thought the only thing missing was police crime scene tape. She briefly entertained the thought of calling her friend Kiba, who served on Konoha's K-9 unit with his big white dog Akamaru, but on second thought, the crime tape might be too much.

Across the room, Shiho appeared in the doorway and pushed her big round glasses up on her nose. "They'll be here any minute. Everything ready?"

Adjusting the largest skull, Hinata stepped back and looked at the arrangement with mingled satisfaction and disgust. "Just finished."

Tsunade came into the room, dressed in red and black to match the mood. "_Perfect_," she told Hinata, eyeing the table display. "If I didn't treasure you so much as a librarian, I'd suggest you go into the interior decorator business."

While Hinata wondered what arranging a table with horror novel paraphernalia had to do with choosing paint and carpet colors, Shiho glanced over her shoulder and then visibly jerked. "They're here!" she whispered loudly enough to be heard in the next county.

Drawing in a deep breath, Tsunade smoothed her hands down the front of her dress, spun, and pushed past Shiho to enter the main part of the library. "Welcome to Konoha Public Library!"

Hinata looked down at her long flowered summer dress, wondering if she was underdressed for the occasion. Between Tsunade's black and red number and Shiho's Halloween costume (apparently she'd decided to dress up as a victim from one of the books), she felt like she'd shown up for a classical concert when a heavy metal rock band was actually scheduled to play.

Shiho fluttered her hands in front of her face and looked pleadingly at Hinata. "How do I look?" she whispered.

Honestly, Hinata wasn't sure what to say. The only things which popped into her head weren't really that complimentary, so she finally settled on, "You match the theme really well."

Fortuantely, Shiho seemed satsified by that. Smiling, she came fully into the room and picked up a stack of fliers off the chair next to the doorway. It was still over an hour before the event was set to begin, but Hinata admired her fellow employee's initiative.

Approaching voices preceded Tsunade's appearance in the doorway by a few seconds. A huge, bulky shadow appeared behind her. Hinata blinked at the sight of a tall, imposing, broad-shouldered white-haired man who stared at the back of Tsunade's blonde head as if he'd just been struck by Cupid's arrow.

Hinata turned slightly and peeked at the poster at the front of the room, which had been moved from behind her desk. She really couldn't see any resemblance between the man in the poster and the one who had just come through the door.

And then he and Tsunade stepped aside, and she saw the other man standing there, previously hidden by the big man's sheer bulk.

Uchiha Sasuke looked absolutely nothing like Hinata expected. Dressed in stonewashed jeans and a red button-up shirt with a black tie, he looked like he should be headed out for a date rather than talking about horror novels. Other than the pale skin and spiky dark hair, he looked absolutely nothing like his poster.

He looked across the room, and their eyes met. Black, not photoshopped red like in the poster. But no less intense than those in the blownup photograph.

Unsettled, Hinata looked away first, nervously adjusting the closest book even though it was already ruler-straight. She sensed him still watching her, his dark eyes studying her profile, her hair, her clothing; and undoubtedly finding her wanting.

After all, she didn't fit the theme. It seemed like she never fit in with her surroundings, no matter where she was.

"Did you arrange this display?"

The voice directly behind her made Hinata jump. Whirling around, she saw him standing less than a foot away, his hands in his pockets, his admiring gaze on the tabletop. He'd moved so quickly and quietly she hadn't heard him approach.

"Ah - yes. Yes, I did." _Not by choice, though_. When Tsunade assigned her the job, Hinata wanted to beg her boss to ask Shiho to do it. But the other woman was busy hanging red and black draperies over the walls, and besides being the head of the library, Tsunade was on and off the phone so often she couldn't do it. Which left only poor Hinata to arrange the nasty books, and knives, and hatchets, and skulls...

"It looks good." With a nod, Sasuke looked around the rest of the room, his expression unreadable. "So you work here, huh?"

Hinata glanced down at the name tag pinned to her dress, biting back the sarcastic comment bubbling to her lips. Tsunade had worked so hard to lure Sasuke to the library - she'd not only fire Hinata but _kill_ her if she insulted the man almost as soon as he walked in the door. "Yes. I'm here on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Shiho-" she indicated her coworker with a tilt of her head "-is here on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays."

Sasuke didn't even glance in Shiho's direction. Instead, he looked back down at the table display, his dark eyes seeming to skip over the book covers in favor of focusing on the other things. "Have you read any of my books?"

"The day I read that sorry excuse for literature is the day my father will finally admit he doesn't always know best." _Oops_. The acerbic words spurted past her lips without permission. Even though they were very true, though, she wished she could recall them. _Tsunade is going to _kill_ me. She's going to torture me, then draw and quarter me, drag my remains into the woods, and then feed me to the wolves._ She swallowed hard, wondering if she should just run or stay for the reaming out undoubtedly about to begin.

Instead of exploding like she'd expected him to do, Sasuke raised one eyebrow. "'Excuse for literature,' huh?" He glanced down at the twelve books scattered across the table. "I don't know, it's offered me a pretty good life. Keeps a roof over my head and food on the table, at least." Without waiting for her to speak again, he went on to ask, "What counts as literature in your book, then?"

Hinata fought to keep her jaw from dropping at the unexpected question. Of all the reactions she'd expected him to have, that one never even entered her mind. "Um," she began, quite intelligently. Giving herself a mental slap, she went on, "The classics, of course. Poe, Keats, Doyle, Austin, Shakespeare, Lewis, Tolkein-"

"Good authors, all of them." A strange little grin half-quirked the corner of Sasuke's lips. "Except for Austin. Can't speak about her, since I've never read her work."

But apparently he'd heard of her, which shocked Hinata. Almost as much to hear Sasuke say he'd read things by the others, too. Before she could stop herself, she blurted out, "_I dread the events of the future, not in themselves, but in their results. I shudder at the thought of any, even the most trivial, incident, which may operate upon this intolerable agitation of soul._"

When Hinata paused for a breath, Sasuke continued smoothly, "_I have, indeed, no abhorrence of danger, except in its absolute effect -in terror. In this unnerved-in this pitiable condition -I feel that the period will sooner or later arrive when I must abandon life and reason together, in some struggle with the grim phantasm, FEAR._" He watched her with narrow eyes, but she thought she could see amusement gleaming in their midnight depths. "_The Fall of the House of Usher_. My favorite of Edgar Allen Poe's short stories." The corner of his mouth quirked. "A true literary genius, indeed. I've referenced several of his works in my books. In fact, in _Raven's Wing_, the villian was obsessed with Poe's works and left snippets of his writing at the scenes of his murders."

Hinata really couldn't tell if Sasuke was making fun of her or what. _The Fall of the House of Usher_ was her favorite of Poe's stories, as well, and the fact he said it was his - and he'd finished the quote _word for word_ - unsettled her in ways she couldn't quite name.

Swallowing hard, Hinata offered him a stiff smile. "Excuse me, please, but I have to get back to the front desk. Enjoy your evening." Spinning on her heel, she walked (quickly) across the room, slipped past Tsunade and Jiriaya, and returned to her post behind the desk. Someone needed to be there, after all, just in case people with a lick of sense and a discerning literary taste showed up.

If she ever talked to Uchiha Sasuke again, it would be too soon.

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ Poor Sasuke and his "sorry excuse for literature." Heh-heh. And poor Hinata, for sticking her foot in her mouth so many times. But I _really_ adored writing this scene, really letting them both go at it with each other, with only one of them knowing who the other _really_ is. Part of my purpose of writing this is for the whole tongue-in-cheek factor - I'm not going to heap on the melodrama, but every now and then I might play something up a bit. (For instance, Hinata likes Poe - who is a bit of a macabre writer, albeit in a very intellectual sort of way. Kind of like Sasuke, though she doesn't realize it yet. In her opinion, all modern horror/thriller writers are more obsessed with blood, guts, and gore than actually telling a thought-provoking story.) I hope that makes sense. But yes, yes, I've very much been looking forward to sharing this chapter with you. And as for her not seeming to recognize him as the disguised book-borrower - oh, I have a plan. And it is a _fun_ one. (And is it just me, or does anyone else think Sasuke would look really yummy in stonewashed jeans?) Thank you all so much for reading this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope to see you all again for next week's update!

_**Additional Author's Note:**_ I am adding this little note in because I have gotten several reviews left for the express reason of pointing out that Hinata is OOC. I already know this, and _that _is_ the point_. Hinata is under an _incredible_ amount of stress, and she is starting to reach the point where she is going to start reacting in ways she ordinarily wouldn't. I am not writing this story to make Hinata into a jerk, I am simply showing that she is a normal person who has been told repeatedly she is stupid and been made fun of by various people over the course of her life (including her own father), and everything is finally coming to a head now. _Everyone_ eventually reaches a point where they cannot take the stress anymore and have no choice but to break or go insane, and Hinata has reached that point. Please stop leaving reviews _just_ to point this out, because I already know it and am writing it that way _for a reason_. Thank you.


	9. Contemplations

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _Danish78_, _Sachiko Heiwajima_, _H. M. Akhlys_, _wolf-enzeru_, _crimsonkira_, _xlyphiechanx_, _CrimsonNight41_, _imatwilightfan_, _Stormy Cloudz_, _MuffinMan9223_, _Tamani_, _NeverInUrWildestDreams_, _Petunia_, _TheValkyrieGladiator_, _ImCutePoison_,_ BekotaTheMonsterHuntress_, _meadora-chan_, _stasoft_, and _Dani Stark_ for all your wonderful reviews! Also thanks to everyone who has added this to their favorites and alerts lists - we've broken 100 for reviews and follows, and 50 for favorites! _Wow_!

**Author's Note:** I got such a spectacular response for the last chapter - thank you all so much! It's been a hard week for me, so seeing all the support has really helped me power through everything. A few reviewers have asked if certain other characters will make appearances in this story - and I believe this chapter will answer your question to satisfaction. Thank you all so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter IX~*<strong>

_~Contemplations~_

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><p>When Hinata finally dragged into the condo at ten minutes until ten, she found Tenten sitting on the couch with two pints of ice cream on the coffee table in front of her and the opening image of their favorite chick flick paused on the TV.<p>

Despite herself, Hinata smiled. "You figured it would go that badly, did you?"

Shrugging, Tenten picked up a spoon and the mint chocolate chip ice cream. She held the two objects out toward Hinata. "I didn't _figure_ it would go that badly, per se, so much as I _knew_ it would go that badly." As Hinata accepted the gifts, Tenten reached for her own ice cream and spoon, saying as she did, "I know how you feel about certain authors and their 'contributions' to literary society in general."

Tucking her feet beneath her on the couch, Hinata ran her spoon across the undisturbed top of the ice cream - soft enough to eat without being half-melted, just the way she liked it - and said, "Literary society is where this guy _thinks_ he belongs." And yet he'd still been able to quote Poe to her, word for word.

Obviously he knew true literary genius when he saw it. He just chose not to pursue such lofty heights for himself.

"Seriously," Tenten mumbled around her spoon, "how bad _was_ it?"

After savoring her first bite, Hinata answered her friend's question as she ran her spoon through the chilled decadence again. "It could have been worse," she admitted. "Plenty of people came, so it was a resounding success on that front. Tsunade is over the moon." She took another bite, trying to work out her own feelings on the subject as she allowed the dark chocolate chips to melt on her tongue. Swallowing, she continued, "But I have to admit, Uchiha Sasuke is nothing at all like I thought he'd be."

Tenten wrinkled her nose over her toffee ice cream. "He's even creepier than his poster?"

"No, actually. He was dressed quite respectably, and when he talked to me for a minute, he didn't say or do anything creepy at all. He was very - gentlemanly." It still surprised her, put her off-balance. She knew logically just because the man wrote the thriller/horror genre didn't mean he was anything like his characters, but she'd expected to see something dark or disturbing, something somehow off-kilter, in his eyes or expression. But nothing like that had been present when he spoke to her, or during the couple of times she glanced into the room to make sure everything was going smoothly. "And he quoted Poe to me," she added in a rush.

Eyes widening dramatically, Tenten planted her spoon in her ice cream as if it were Excalibur in its rock and breathed, "_Really_?"

"Word for word." Hinata drew little shapes in the top of her ice cream, wishing she could just forget the whole encounter. As well as hoping Sasuke (_and when_, an insidious little voice whispered in the back of her mind, _had she started thinking of him as "Sasuke"?_) had hated the entire night so much he'd call tomorrow to cancel his other two appearances. "He's nothing at all like I expected him to be. And I don't like it."

At last picking up her spoon again, Tenten said hesitantly, "Well, it's not really feasible to pack people into nice, neat little boxes. We're complicated."

And oh boy, how well Hinata knew that one. "At least everything went smoothly," she said, deliberately avoiding Tenten's comment. "Hopefully the other two appearances will work along the same lines."

"You have to work for them, too?" Tenten licked her spoon, watching Hinata shrewdly.

"Unfortunately. But at least Tsunade is not only paying me by the hour for this; she's paying me overtime." Her boss was rough around the edges, but she really did care about the fact she had pulled Hinata into working an unusual night - and only a few days from her best friend's wedding. "It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, though. So I don't really mind." Just so long as Sasuke kept his distance, and continued his non-creepy behavior.

Setting aside her ice cream and spoon, Tenten picked up a piece of heavy, pretty, red-and-gold patterned paper off the table and began folding it into a paper crane. Several others rested neatly in the box next to the couch, and Hinata finally realized what her roommate had been doing all evening. "Don't you already have them all done?"

Tenten shook her head. "I'm only up to nine-hundred-fifty-two," she said. "I still have forty-eight left to fold to make a thousand." Tenten, who was also of Oriental descent, had decided to fold a thousand paper cranes for decorations for the reception. Not just for the beautiful touch they'd add, but for their cultural significance. "I think I can handle that before Friday night, don't you?"

Hinata politely refrained from offering to help her friend, knowing Tenten needed to fold them all herself. "With plenty of time to spare." Many of the cranes were already threaded and ready to hang in the reception hall, but she knew there were still over three hundred left to do, and only two days in which to do it.

"I don't know about the 'plenty of time to spare' part, but I should have them done by tomorrow." She set aside the crane she'd just finished and reached for another piece of paper. "Ino and Sakura are going to meet us at the reception hall Friday after they get off work to help us finish stringing them and getting everything set up."

She already knew the blonde would be in charge of the floral arrangements and their pink-haired friend would try to take over everything else. But Hinata appreciated the help, especially since it would be the last time all four of them would do something like that together as unmarried females. "That should work out well. Do you want me to pick up some food so we can all grab a bite before we start decorating?"

"Sakura's going to pick up something from The Yellow Flash before she comes over," Tenten said, completing the last fold and yet another crane. Setting it in the box, she continued, "It's on her way."

Hinata bit her lower lip. The Yellow Flash, the café owned and operated by Namikaze Minato and his wife and son, was also on _her_ way to the reception hall. She'd hoped to be the one to swing by and pick up the food - not to mention see Naruto, Minato and Kushina's son and the man on whom she'd had a crush since middle school. "All right," she said softly, trying to hide her disappointment.

Tenten started on another crane, thankfully not seeming to notice her friend's sudden depression. "Did you confirm getting off early tomorrow with Tsunade?" she asked.

"Yes, while we were cleaning up. I reminded her we're supposed to have the rehearsal tomorrow, and she said again it would be no problem for me to leave a little early." In fact, Tsunade had offered to let Hinata have the entire day off, but Hinata hadn't wanted to take advantage. Plus, she knew Shiho had classes at the community college three counties over on Thursdays, which meant Tsunade would have to run the library by herself all day. It just didn't seem fair. "We're all supposed to meet at six, right?"

"Yes." Tenten's fingers finally stopped their busy work. The brunette looked up with an breathless smile and excitedly shining eyes. "I'm getting married in just a few days," she whispered. "It's _finally_ almost here."

Hinata smiled and nodded, happy for her cousin and best friend, but unable to smother the small prick of jealousy in her heart which yearned for what they had for herself, too. "Yes, it is. And everything is going to go just fine."

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><p>Sasuke scrubbed his hand over his eyes as he waited for the pills he'd just taken to kick in and relieve his headache. The night had gone better than he'd thought it would, but he still wished he could have avoided the entire experience altogether.<p>

Though he'd gotten to talk to Hinata again. That had been nice.

Except for the part where she told him he didn't write real literature.

But he'd been able to quote Poe to her verbatim, and he'd read several of the authors on her "true literary geniuses" lists. So maybe he'd managed to salvage the first impression after all?

Jiraiya lumbered into the kitchen and squinted at Sasuke. "Headache?"

"Yeah." Hopping onto one of the bar stools across from the doorway, Sasuke propped his elbow on the counter and pressed his forehead into the cup of his hand. "All things considered, I suppose it went well enough."

"Well enough? It was a resounding success!" Jiraiya's thunderous voice certainly wasn't helping the pounding pain in Sasuke's head. "I can't wait to see how next week's session goes."

Sasuke started to mutter a noncommittal response, but then his aching brain caught up with his agent's words. Lifting his head, he looked at Jiraiya, and said, "Wait, you're going to _be_ here for next week?"

Suddenly looking uncomfortable, Jiraiya opened the fridge door and leaned over to peer at the contents, conveniently placing his back to Sasuke. He mumbled something under his breath and pushed a jar of pickles out of the way to get to a stray orange.

"What was that?" If Sasuke wasn't mistaken, the name of the woman in charge of the library had just been prominently mentioned in that mumbling.

Straightening, Jiraiya shut the door to the fridge and dug his nail into the orange peel. Avoiding Sasuke's gaze, he said, "I thought you wanted me here?"

Oh, Jiraiya was _not_ going to make this about Sasuke. "Funny, I could've sworn I heard you mention Senju Tsunade's name."

A rather interesting shade of red burst to life across Jiraiya's cheeks. "Ah - I might have mentioned her name, yes." He tossed part of the peel into the trash and went to work on the rest of it. "She's an - interesting woman. Didn't so much notice it over the phone, but now..."

Sasuke thought Tsunade's rather - _ahem_ - ample assets also probably had something to do with it, but refrained from mentioning it. "In other words, you're not coming back here to support me, you're coming back to see Tsunade again, aren't you?"

Jiraiya grimaced. "Not so much _see_ her again as try again to convince her to go to dinner with me."

So _that's_ what was going on. Jiraiya had been rejected, and Sasuke knew his agent didn't like to be turned down. The man liked a challenge, so Sasuke knew he wasn't going to let it go until Tsunade finally agreed.

Which meant Sasuke's guest room would probably have a permanent guest for the forseeable future. Not that he didn't have plenty of room, but... "Don't you have responsibilities in New York?"

"Of course I do," Jiraiya rumbled, giving Sasuke a reproachful look. "I'm not just going to drop everything with my job. I'm flying back to New York as planned in the morning, and then I'll be back next Tuesday."

Well, at least Sasuke would have his house to himself for a few days. He glanced at the doorway to the kitchen as Ninja came in, looked around, and then made a beeline for his food bowl, which Sasuke had refilled before taking the pain pills (which _still_ didn't seem inclined to help). "You'll stay here, of course?" It was more of a perfunctory question than an actual desire for company.

"Thank you, my boy. I'll enjoy the time out in the country again." Jiraiya seemed pleased as he popped an orange slice in his mouth.

Sasuke didn't think it was so much the country he'd enjoy, but again held his tongue. "Well, I think I'll head to-" He was interrupted by the sound of his phone, still on vibrate, buzzing its way across the counter.

Jiraiya stopped chewing as Sasuke picked up his phone and glanced at the caller ID. Immediately he felt his mood plummet further as he glanced at the calendar across the room: _July 16. It's almost..._ He sighed._ Of course, how could I have lost track of the date?_

For a moment, Sasuke entertained the thought of punching the _reject_ option. It wouldn't be the first time.

But he knew better than to do so, especially in front of his agent. Closing his eyes - which still afforded him no relief from the increasing pain in his head - Sasuke drew in a deep breath (and a healthy dose of fortification) before answering it. "Hello?" His voice sounded raspy and thready, almost as if he were sick.

There was a momentary silence on the other end, and then a familiar male voice queried, "Sasuke?"

The futile hope the caller ID had been wrong was blasted into nonexistence now. Sighing, Sasuke confirmed, "Yeah, it's me. What do you want? I've had a long day, and was just heading for bed." It was almost midnight, after all. Even with the time difference, his caller should have known that.

Probably did, and just didn't care.

Uchiha Itachi cleared his throat slightly and said in his mellow, cultured voice, "I'm in London right now. I need to book a flight back, and I was wondering if I should do it to home, or to the airport near there...?"

Sasuke considered the pros and cons of his older brother's question. Of the former, there were few; the latter, many. Perhaps if he hadn't been so distracted he would have been expecting this, and it wouldn't feel so much like a punch in the solar plexus. "I'm guessing this is a package deal?" The words came out sounding a lot colder than he'd intended.

A pause, then, "Yes." _As always_.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he sighed and tried to ignore Jiraiya's inquisitive looks from across the kitchen. "How long will you be here?"

Itachi sounded a little more hopeful when he said, "Probably about a week. There's a flight early Friday morning we can catch. Be there around six or seven that night."

So his older brother would be here during one of Sasuke's sessions at the library. _Wonderful_. He'd might as well open up his house as a bed and breakfast, because his guest rooms seemed to be rapidly filling up. Especially considering he _didn't like company_, and usually went out of his way to avoid having people stay at _his home_. "You going to get a rental car and drive out here?" _Please don't make me have to drive to the airport and pick you up, too._

"Yes. I'll arrange that when I book the flight." The hope in Itachi's voice was growing stronger by the minute.

"Fine." Sasuke very deliberately didn't say he looked forward to seeing his brother.

There was a definite smile in Itachi's voice when he replied, "Thank you, Sasuke. I'll see you in a couple of days."

Then the brothers hung up, and just like that, the conversation was over. Sasuke wished he could forget it, pretend it had never happened.

Jiraiya cleared his throat and ventured around another slice of orange, "Bad news?"

Most people wouldn't think so. "I suppose not." Without offering any further explanation, Sasuke asked, "When does your flight leave in the morning?" It wasn't that he was trying to get rid of his agent - well, not _too_ much - he just hoped to distract the man.

Frowning, Jiraiya shot him a _I know what you're doing and I don't like it, kid_ look before responding. "Flight leaves at 9:15. I have to be at the airport by eight."

"Great. I'll see you in the morning before you leave, then. We'll have breakfast and a cup of coffee." Sasuke wished Jiraiya a good night and beat it out of the kitchen before the older man could fire off any questions to assuage the burning curiosity in his eyes.

Sasuke had too many things on his plate to deal with the way it was without rehashing things better left in the past.

-And he _still_ hadn't gotten rid of his blasted headache.

-And it sure didn't look like he was going to any time soon, either.

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ A few people have asked if Itachi was going to make an appearance at some point in this story - I didn't answer your question before now, because I knew we were almost to this chapter. He'll be showing up in a couple of chapters, and we'll get to find out what Sasuke is so bent out of shape over soon, too. As for Sasuke and Hinata's next encounter - well, let's just say I'm _very_ much looking forward to the next chapter! I've had a bit of a rough go of it this week, so seeing all your support (100+ reviews and follows, and 50+ favorites, _wow_!) has really helped cheer me up. It seems like I get a new alert in my e-box just when I need it most, and I appreciate all of you _so_ much. Thank you all so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed, and I hope to see you again for next week's chapter!


	10. Confrontation

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _Melanieciel_, _Sachiko Heiwajima_, _Guest_, _ImCutePoison_, _crimsonkira_, _Dani Stark, Kibachow_, _Eveel Me_, _Tamani_, _wolf-enzeru_, _rao hyuga 18_, _NeverInUrWildestDreams_, and _CrimsonNight41_ for all your amazing reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this to their favorite and follows lists - I'm blown away!

**Author's Note:** More SasuHina interaction to be found in this chapter! I've been looking forward to this one for a while - it's probably in my top 5 favorites from the whole story, especially the second scene. I loved writing it, and I hope you enjoy reading it! Thanks for checking it out!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter X~*<strong>

_~Confrontation~_

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><p>Sasuke knew if he was going to have a chance to go the library and do some more research before his brother arrived, Thursday was <em>it<em>. After Jiraiya left, the best-selling author did a load of laundry, worked out in the gym in his basement, played with Ninja for a while, then worked a couple more hours on his outline for his (hopefully) next book. Then he ate lunch, changed into his disguise, and headed for the library.

He wasn't a fool - he doubted his disguise would work on Hinata now she'd met the real him. But even if she did recognize him, hopefully the baggy clothes and hat would keep anyone else from making the same connection. After all, she was the only one (that he knew of) who had seen him as both himself and in the disguise. So though he felt reasonably sure Hinata was going to recognize him (oh, wasn't this going to be fun?), he also felt certain no one else would.

But he had to go to the library - and, strangely, _wanted_ to go to the library. It was a risk, but one worth taking.

All for the sake of his fans, naturally.

Hat pulled down low over his eyes, Sasuke slouched into the library, feeling a flutter of uncertainty in his stomach when he noticed Hinata sitting at the desk. Usually right after lunch (at least, in his limited experience), she reshelved all the returns and the holds which hadn't been picked up.

But of course, the one time he _really_ wanted her to be gone from the desk, there she sat. She seemed to be nibbling on her thumb knuckle as she stared intently at the computer screen in front of her, forehead wrinkled and her delicate features set in an expression of deep thought. As he lingered in the doorway and watched, she winced and clicked the mouse loudly, as if what she'd just seen frustrated her.

Figuring he should just be a man and get this over with (as soon as possible), Sasuke tugged self-consciously on the brim of his hat again and strode over to the desk. Keeping his head tilted so it mostly blocked his face, he said, "I'm going to go get some books again, okay?"

From beneath the brim of his hat, he saw Hinata jump slightly at his sudden appearance. She looked up, making the long purple earrings in her ears swing like twin pendulums beneath her curtain of dark hair. She peered owlishly up at him with her big pale eyes, blinked, and said, "Oh, it's you. Of course, please, go on." She waved vaguely toward the nonfiction section and then went back to her computer.

_Okay then. That was easy._ Feeling grateful for the reprieve, Sasuke scuttled back to his research supply and started pulling down books. If she hadn't been so distracted, he knew she would have recognized him. _What's she so intent on, anyway? She looked like the fate of the world hung in the balance of whatever she was doing._

Scoffing quietly under his breath, Sasuke hauled his armful of books back to his corner and settled in. He didn't know much about women, but what little he _did_ know made him sure little things like the wrong color of makeup or a chip in their nail polish was earth-shattering.

But for some reason, Hinata didn't strike Sasuke as that type of woman. Every time he'd seen her, she'd seemed very quiet and serious, not outgoing and scatterbrained. He had a feeling whatever made her look so worried was definitely significant.

Another quick glance around, then Sasuke pulled out his glasses and slipped them on. Usually the few times he went out he wore contacts, but the mail had lost his newest supply and he was out until the next batch arrived. So like it or not, as long as he was going to be reading, writing, or typing, he needed to wear his glasses.

Shaking off his thoughts of everything but work, Sasuke buckled down and got down to it. He was really racking up a lot of good material, and the book was starting to flow together. The main characters were coming to life in his head, and the groundwork was already laid for (what he hoped would be) a solid plot. His home provided the perfect inspiration for the spooky old mansion in the book (though Sasuke always insisted his had characters, not ghosts), and...

...He just couldn't seem to shake the heroine's rather significant resmblence to the librarian at the front desk. He'd tried several times to change her, but as soon as he got into the rhythm of things, he reverted back to the heroine-who-looks-and-acts-like-Hinata.

Sasuke felt reasonably sure she wouldn't appreciate being the heroine in his newest novel. But he also couldn't help himself - he _had_ to go where inspiration led him, especially now - so as long as she didn't find out (and _he_ sure wasn't planning on telling her), he should be fine.

At last resigning himself to the fact Hinata was going to star in his newest book (with names changed to protect the innocent, naturally), Sasuke found himself really getting into the flow of things. Idea after idea poured from his brain, through his fingers on the keyboard, onto the page. He jolted out of his rhythm at 4:43 with the realization he'd stayed much longer than he'd intended. If he wanted to get back home before people started getting off work and flooding into the library, he'd best pack things up and head out now.

After shutting down his computer and tucking it back into his messenger bag, Sasuke put away his glasses and then gathered up his armload of books to return to the shelf. The library had been nice and quiet all afternoon, just the way he liked, with only a handful of people coming in over the course of the afternoon to use one of the computers, drop things off, or pick up their reserved books. No one ventured close to where he sat in his cozy corner.

With great care to make sure he put them right back where he found them, Sasuke returned the books to the shelf and then headed toward the front of the library. If he could slip out of the library past Hinata, that would be great. But he had a feeling he wouldn't be so lucky a second time.

* * *

><p><em>It's only until January<em>. For some reason, that thought really didn't reassure Hinata that much.

She'd gotten a text from Hanabi letting her know she only planned to live with her older sister until January, when she would go west three states over and live in a college dorm. But July to January was a very long time to have Hanabi living under the same roof again - one of the many things she'd gratefully escaped when she _moved out_.

For the time being, at least, she chose not to think about summer vacations.

Tenten's only half-joking words from the night before flittered through Hinata's memory. "Well, Hinata, you could always show your dad your tattoo. That would pretty much put an end to his machinations, I think."

Only three - no, four now - people knew about her tattoo: herself, Tenten (who was there with her when she got it, and got a dragon tattoo on her own shoulder), Neji (who had smiled in amusement and quietly applauded her slight rebellion), and now the mysterious man with the hat who kept coming into the library and looking at books on the supernatural. Perhaps he thought his home was haunted, and he was trying to figure out what to do about it?

While Tenten's idea was one Hinata would hold in reserve, she'd really rather her father not find out about the sunflower on her ankle. If Hiashi didn't instantly have a heart attack at the sight of the tattoo, he would probably go off on an hour-long tirade about how disappointed he was in Hinata, and how childish and irresponsible she was.

On the bright side, that would probably keep him from forcing her to let Hanabi move in...

Hinata could just hear it now: "You're not responsible enough to keep _yourself_ out of trouble, let alone your younger sister! How _could_ you, Hinata? I am so disappointed in you!"

At least part of the speech she'd heard before. Ad nauseum. It wasn't anything new.

But she would really rather keep her tattoo a secret. So that left her back at square one: trying to find a way to keep Hanabi from moving in with her that would satisfy everyone, and not let certain secrets out of the bag.

And not give her father a heart attack.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone approach the desk from the direction of the shelves. Hinata looked up with her usual courteous smile, then noticed it was the man with the hat.

He stopped in front of the desk, a black messenger bag slung over his right shoulder, his left hand tucked into the pocket of his jeans. "I put all the books back on the shelf," he said. "Thanks for letting me pull them down and look at them."

Shaking off her preoccupation, Hinata let her smile turn from professionally courteous to a warmer, more personal smile. "No problem. Thanks for letting me know, and for putting them back where they came from when you're done. But are you sure you don't want me to check any of them out for you? It's really no problem."

The man hesitated, head tilting slightly as he looked back toward the nonfiction section. "I already have a library card," he said slowly, "but it's several years out of date." He sounded doubtful, almost edgy.

"That's no problem," Hinata replied cheerfully. "All I need to do is update your information - make sure your address, e-mail, and phone number are all current, then renew the card, and it will be good for another year. It won't take but a minute, and then you can check out the books for three weeks - and even renew them a couple of times."

Once again the man's gaze slid back toward where he'd been just a few minutes before, then toward the door only a few steps away. She had the oddest feeling, like he was going to bolt. "It's not that I'm trying to get rid of you or anything," she said quickly. She tilted her head slightly, trying to get a look under the hat. Why was he so determined to hide under that hat? The first time was kind of cute - now it was just plain irritating. "I just thought it might be easier on you."

Sighing, he dug his wallet out of one of the messenger bag's pouches, flipped it open, and pulled out an antiquated card. He stared at it for a long moment, face completely hidden behind the bill of his cap, as if wondering if he really wanted to hand it over to her.

Hinata raised her eyebrows at what part of his card she could see. He wasn't kidding when he said his card was out of date - she hadn't seen a card like that since she was in middle school. Clearing her throat, she said softly, "I might have to issue you a new card. That one is pretty old from the looks of it, and we've changed our system a bit since then." She couldn't even _scan_ that card, which meant the number would have to be input manually each time he wanted to check something out. She was willing to do it, but he struck her as the type who would much rather get things done quickly.

Shifting nervously, he said, "Fine, I'll take a new one, then."

Smiling, Hinata said, "No problem. Give me just a second, please." Leaning down, she pulled a new set of cards from beneath the desk along with a blank form and handed them to the man across the desk. "All you have to do is fill out those papers, then I'll scan the cards to activate them, input the information into the computer, and you'll be good to go."

The man shot another nervous look toward the door, then plucked a pen out of the little cup on her desk and hurriedly scrawled the required information on the form she'd handed him. Clicking the pen shut a few seconds later, he dropped it back into the cup and then held the sheet of paper out toward her.

Wondering if she'd even be able to read what he'd written, Hinata took the paper from his large hand while simultaneously scanning the cards - one for his wallet and one for his keychain - with her other. Turning toward the computer, she shook the mouse and reached for the keyboard to input the man's information in the little window which had popped up on the screen.

Hinata glanced at the name, started to type it in, then did a double take. Blinked at it. Checked again, just to make sure she was reading it right.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!" Looking up, she found Uchiha Sasuke standing before her, nervously twisting his cap between his hands, an anxious expression on his thin face as he stared at her. Popping to her feet, Hinata waved the sheet of paper and nearly screeched, "_You're_ the one who's been coming into the library in disguise and pulling down all those books from the shelves?!"

He winced slightly, as if she'd slapped him. "You don't understand," he said softly.

"You played me for a _fool_!" Hinata's hand tightened around the paper until she felt it crumple in her grip. "How nice of you, sneaking in under my nose, laughing at the silly little librarian, and then walking in here yesterday evening cool as you please, as if you'd never seen me before in your life!" She realized the tone of her voice was only a notch below shouting. Her vision was also surprisingly blurry, but she couldn't help herself.

How could she have been so _stupid_ last night? Why hadn't she recognized him, especially when he spoke to her? Even if she hadn't registered his height, or the way he moved, or even his hands, which she'd seen quite clearly before, she should have recognized his voice!

Even earlier, when he stopped by the desk to tell her he was going to pull down some books, Hinata should have realized. But she'd been too distracted, and look at where she was now.

"I wasn't_ trying_ to trick you deliberately." A muscle in Sasuke's jaw pulsed visibly, and he looked away from her. "Never mind. I won't bother you again." Turning away, he swept through the doors and vanished, leaving Hinata trembling in his wake.

Sinking back down into her chair, Hinata stared at the paper she still clutched in her hand. Laying it on the desk, she smoothed it out and stared at it, taking note of his bold handwriting, surprisingly neat considering how fast he'd written down his information. Everything was there - his name, address (though that one was obvious), and his e-mail address, though she noticed he hadn't put down his phone number.

Sighing, Hinata turned back toward the computer and typed in all the information quickly and then saved it. Sasuke's cards were activated, but she didn't know if he'd take them. Even if he did, she felt pretty sure he wouldn't use either one of them. She'd scared him off.

Staring down at the colorful little pair of cards, she entertained the idea of giving them to him when she saw him for his session next Wednesday. She could also apologize for yelling at him, because remembering the look on his face, she knew he'd been telling the truth. He _hadn't_ been trying to trick her maliciously. In fact, considering how rarely he was ever seen in town, she had a feeling he just didn't like being around people. It must have taken a Herculean effort for him to come down to the library, even in disguise.

A sudden thought struck her, and she stared down at the cards in her hand in horror. _What if he calls and cancels the other two Wednesday appearances because of what I did?_

Tsunade would _kill_ her if she found out Hinata was the reason he canceled.

Cold sweat broke out on her forehead. Hinata glanced at the clock. It was five o'clock - time for her to leave, go home, and get ready for the wedding rehearsal tonight.

Quickly gathering up her things, Hinata let Tsunade know she was leaving and then hurried out the door.

Once she was in the privacy of her car, she stared at the library cards she still held. _I don't have time to take them to him now. But later..._

Her decision made, she thrust the cards into her purse, started the car, and drove toward home.

_I'll take them to him as quickly as I can, and hope to goodness I didn't just blow everything._

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ Oooh, Sasuke, you caught her on a _really_ bad day. Yikes. Poor Sasuke, poor Hinata, poor everyone! I really do feel like I'm putting them through the wringer, but I can _guarantee_ I'll make up for it. In spades. ...Fairly soon. Thank you all so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you again for next week's update!

_**Q & A:**_ Some of you may recognize this spot from over on my story _Blind Faith_. I'm here to address some concerns/confusion a few reviewers have voiced. There seems to be some question about why Sasuke would like someone who's been mean to him all the time, but the thing is, Hinata _hasn't_. Granted, when she caught him putting the books back, she kind of jumped on him at first - but once she realized he didn't mean any harm, she was nice to him. Plus she was nice to him the first day he came, though Sasuke ran away because he's shy. At the meet 'n' greet, Hinata _did_ make a snap judgement about him based on what he writes, but for her, literature counts as something that makes her think through the story, something dramatic and breathtaking and which leaves her guessing and thinking long after the last page. She is (partially) mistaken in thinking Sasuke is a _horror_ writer (instead of _thriller_, which she is more appreciative of), and writes nothing but mindless violence and guts and blood and gore. It is the kind of writing she hates most. From the covers of his books and the admittedly frightening picture on the backs of his books, it's easy to see how she would make this mistake! As for why she got mad at him when he took off his hat and she found out he was Sasuke... It goes back to her childhood. She's always been told by her father that she's useless, worthless, weak, and basically stupid. She's a target for the butt of jokes, and has been several times in her life. She's managed to get past that, partially, thanks to Neji, Tenten, her friends, and being away from her father's direct influence, but a lot of those old feelings have been dredged up by the situation with her father and Hanabi possibly moving in. Plus she's under a lot of stress from Tenten and Neji's wedding, since she's the maid of honor, and Tsunade is expecting a lot more from her because of the extra things going on at the library. She wasn't _deliberately_ being mean, she was just reacting out of instinct. She is under an _incredible_ amount of stress in this story, and since Sasuke didn't say anything the night before (or come up to her earlier during this visit and say anything) about him and the guy in the hat being the same person, she understandably feels like he's making fun of her, trying to pull the wool over her eyes. Granted, he didn't mean anything by it, and _we_ know that, but _she_ doesn't. She's reached the point where all the stress in her life has come to a head, and she's reacting in a way she ordinarily wouldn't - but that's the point. And while she is afraid of losing her job (I think anyone would be in that situation), she _does_ feel guilty about snapping at him like that. You'll see that more later - and _yes_, she will eventually apologize, so please keep an eye out for that. So I am writing her "OOC" for a reason, and she won't be this way for the entire story. I really hope that helped clear up the confusion, and if any more questions arise, keep an eye on this space for the answers! Hope to see you again next week!


	11. Family

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _Sachiko Heiwajima_, _DivineGlory_, _Tamani_, _Dani Stark_, _wolf-enzeru_, _LaydiiV_, _Renoa Heartilly_, _Kibachow_, _pheecat_, _Danish78_, _ImCutePoison_, _Marda_, _Seven Deadly_, and _kichisaburo_ for all your reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this to their favorites and follows lists!

**Author's Note:** Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving, and now a happy Black Friday! So many exciting things coming up in next few chapters - we get to see Itachi and find out what's going on between him and Sasuke, there's a wedding, and Hinata does, naturally, eventually build up enough courage to go see Sasuke to give him his library cards! I'm so excited for everything, and I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Thanks for reading!

* * *

><p><strong>*~Chapter XI~*<strong>

_~Family~_

* * *

><p>For Sasuke, it seemed like the clock <em>crawled<em> through the hours on Friday. He spent the entire day on edge, one eye almost always trained on his watch's face as he tried to clean house, to work on his book, to play with Ninja...

His big black shepherd, picking up on his master's mood, prowled around edgily. He barked at every little noise, and Sasuke finally put him in the backyard when Ninja wouldn't stop barking at birds singing in the bushes bordering the front porch.

Slumping down into his desk chair, Sasuke stared at his computer screen and tried to work up the energy to get some writing done before Itachi arrived. But the boiling anxiety in his gut, combined with Hinata's explosion yesterday, kept him from being able to concentrate.

Rubbing his hand across his eyes, which felt heavy and gritty from his terrible night's lack of sleep, Sasuke finally gave up on writing. Part of him was tempted to do so for good. But he knew if he could just survive his brother's visit, things would calm down and he would be able to get back to it.

Sasuke slid open the back door and stepped out onto the deck, nearly tripping over the tennis ball lying on the welcome mat. Leaning down, he picked it up and bounced it a couple of times, drawing Ninja's attention. Forcing himself into a lighter mood, he moved to the edge of the deck and lobbed the ball far out into the yard, managing a smile as his dog scrambled after it.

Tail wagging crazily, Ninja brought the ball back and dropped the slobbery offering at his master's feet. Sasuke perched on one of the steps leading down to the lawn, picked up the ball, and tossed it again, laughing as Ninja overshot the ball and had to spin around to grab it and bring it back.

Tiring of catch after a dozen or so throws, Ninja brought his outdoor rope toy, and Sasuke played a few rounds of tug-of-war. The intense competition with the huge, muscular dog helped ease a lot of the human's tension. Before long he found himself on his feet and trying his best to get the rope away from his faithful canine companion.

Suddenly Ninja dropped his end and trotted toward the edge of the fence, his ears pricked, tail up in a defensive position. A soft growl rumbled in his throat, then built to a series of barks which nearly drowned out the sound of a motor out front of the house.

Sasuke glanced at his watch: quarter till seven. Apparently the plane had been on time - just his luck.

Sighing, Sasuke ascended the steps and entered the house, Ninja on his heels. Still barking, the big dog beat his master to the front door, then stood there tilting his head back and forth, quieting at Sasuke's command save for his panting and the thump of his wagging tail against the catch-all table in the entryway.

Scratching Ninja's ears, Sasuke nudged his dog out of the way with his knee before opening the heavy front door. An unfamiliar dark SUV sat in the driveway at the base of the stone steps leading up to the porch, the windows darkly tinted, but not so much he couldn't recognize the man in the driver's seat.

Or the woman next to him.

Even as he watched, the back door shot open and a blur of purple and black tumbled from the backseat. Sasuke braced himself as his five-year-old niece barreled up the steps and ran headlong into him, her dark hair flying, wide blue eyes alight with excitement.

"Uncle Sasuke, Uncle Sasuke!" Uchiha Karura laughed as her uncle picked her up and spun her in a circle, then pulled her into a hug. "I missed you," she sighed, snuggling her face against his shoulder.

"I missed you, too, kid," he said. And it was true. The last time he'd seen Karura, she was barely walking, and she _definitely_ wasn't talking this clearly. He talked to her on the phone for her birthday and Christmas, but hearing her voice and seeing her were two completely different things. "You sure grew up. What are you now, eighteen?"

"I'm five!" Karura pouted briefly when Sasuke set her down, but then she spotted Ninja and her whole face lit up. "_Ninja_!" she squealed.

Sasuke kept an eye on the girl and the dog as they got re-acquainted with each other. He grinned as Ninja sat down, tail pumping happily a mile a minute. Karura wrapped her skinny arms around the overgrown puppy's neck and gave him a gentle hug.

While Sasuke had been doting on his niece, Itachi had climbed out of the driver's side of his rented vehicle and come around the SUV to open the passenger door for his wife. The younger brother watched warily as the couple moved to the back hatch and got their luggage, then came up the steps. They watched him just as warily the whole time.

Clenching his hand tightly around the doorknob inside the door so they wouldn't see, he said stiffly, "Glad you made it safely."

Itachi smiled, his eyes moving from his brother to take in the front facade of the house. "It hasn't changed a bit," he murmured.

Sighing inwardly, Sasuke turned to face his sister-in-law. Uchiha Temari, now thirty-two years old, was still as tanned and toned as she'd been three years ago, the last time he saw her. Her blonde hair, pulled back in four distinctive ponytails, shone with threads of gold in the sunlight, and she studied him with teal eyes as cautious of him as he was of her. From the look on her face, she didn't want to be here any more than he wanted her to be.

"Hey," he finally said to her, reluctantly.

A distant, polite smile twitched the corners of Temari's mouth. "Hello."

Sasuke stepped back to let his brother and sister-in-law into the house. Whereas Karura's greeting had been effusive and genuine, the three adults eyed each other guardedly and anxiously, none of them knowing what to say.

At last, Itachi cleared his throat and set down the bags he carried out of the way of the front door. Straightening, he pushed his dark ponytail over his shoulder and said, "The timing of everthing worked out well. We stayed in England a bit longer than we'd anticipated for vacation, and then when we saw the date..." He trailed off and shrugged. "Seemed like a good time for a visit."

In Sasuke's opinion, it was the _worst_ time for a visit. But he bit back the poisonous words begging to spew - none of them were appropriate to be said in the presence of a five-year-old's innocent ears - and muttered instead, "Sure. Best time there could be."

Itachi's dark eyes flickered with the awareness of everything Sasuke hadn't said. Temari crossed her arms in front of her stomach and slanted a glance at Karura. "After I finished commentating at Wimbledon, we all decided we hadn't had a proper vacation in a while, so we toured the British isles for about a week and a half, and now here we are!"

Sasuke sighed silently to himself. Sabaku Temari had been a force to reckon with on tennis courts across the world from the time she was sixteen. She won her first career Grand Slam at seventeen. She then went on to win three more before she announced her surprise retirement at twenty-seven. Sasuke remembered the big brouhaha made over it at the time, since Temari had still been at the top of her game and winning championships right and left.

Despite himself, Sasuke had tuned in to one interview with Temari when she talked about why she was retiring. He'd heard the news on the television, not through his brother as he would have expected, and he wondered why she would choose to stop doing something she loved so much when she was still the best at it.

To this day, five years later, he could still remember her answer so clearly. Temari had looked straight into the camera - almost as if she were staring right into Sasuke's eyes - and answered his silent question, echoed by millions all over the world. "I have enjoyed my time in tennis, and am very thankful for every single player who has helped me play so many memorable matches. But, as much as I love this sport, there are things I love more. I want to spend more time with my husband, and I want a family. Thank you."

Though Temari didn't play any more, she still kept her fingers on the pulse of the game by designing her own line of tennis gear and commentating at all the Majors and several other tournaments in the States.

Sasuke silently watched his sister-in-law kneel next to her daughter, where she wrapped one arm around Karura's shoulders as she scratched Ninja behind the ears. The smile on her face made it clear she didn't regret her decision five, now almost six, years ago at all.

And he wondered, _What would it be like to love someone so much I would be willing to give up everything?_

He didn't know, but found himself surprised to realize he'd like to find out.

* * *

><p>Hinata sat quietly at a table and strung together the remaining paper cranes while Tenten, Ino, and Sakura stood scattered about the room going about their own individual decorating duties. The remnants of their meal sat on a table in the corner, along with their drinks and a bowl full of chocolate all four women kept dipping into - Ino's contribution to the evening.<p>

"Twenty-four hours from now," Sakura said from her place by the window, "you'll be a married woman."

Tenten turned slightly on the ladder and grinned. "I know! I can hardly believe it; but at the same time, I can't wait!" She looked giddy, and had spent the majority of their time together floating around in a happy fog. In fact, Hinata wondered why she even needed the ladder. She was so happy, it almost seemed like she could just float right up to the ceiling on her own.

Outside, thunder rumbled in the distance. All four women froze, wide eyes staring at each other, panic on their faces.

"I don't remember a thunderstorm on the weather report!" Tenten slowly stepped down the ladder, her spirits seeming to sink along with her physical altitude.

"Better tonight than tomorrow," Sakura pointed out.

Ino already had her phone out, her fingers flying across the touchpad. "It's summer," she mumbled to her screen. "Popcorn thunderstorms aren't anything new. But I'm checking the weather for tomorrow, just in case."

Hinata watched Tenten, who dropped down on a chair and watched her blonde friend with anxiety written all over her face. Though the reception was being held indoors, the wedding itself was to take place in the middle of the nearby park. The bride and groom themselves would be in the gazebo, but their attendants and the guests would all be out in the open.

If it rained - or worse, stormed - Hinata wasn't sure what Tenten and Neji planned to do. They'd been planning various details of their wedding since high school, and she knew one of the first things they'd decided they wanted was an outdoor wedding. She didn't want to see that spoiled for her cousin and best friend.

Ino blew out a gusty sigh and rolled her eyes. "Sunny skies tomorrow," she said. "It'll be warm but not hot, with only a slight breeze. It'll be fine for the wedding."

Sakura cleared her throat and twisted the napkin she'd been in the process of folding. "But what about _now_? If it rains too much and the ground is muddy..."

Tenten groaned loudly and hid her face in her hands.

Looking worried, the pink-haired woman hurried across the room to hug her friend. "I'm sorry, Tenten! I'm always shooting my mouth off without thinking."

"No, you're being realistic and looking ahead." Tenten dropped her hands and lifted her head, a brave smile wobbling across her lips. "Me? I'm going to bury my head in the sand and pretend this conversation never happened." She hesitated, then ventured, "Is a rain dance supposed to encourage rain, or _dis_courage it?"

"Encourage, I think," Ino said. She tucked her phone back into the pocket of her shorts and tossed her long, heavy ponytail over her shoulder. "Maybe you should stick to the waltz."

"I think maybe I should." Standing up, Tenten let out her breath and nodded her head. "Like you said, Ino, popcorn thunderstorms aren't anything new in summer around here. This'll come, stay a bit, then move on, and things will dry out plenty by the time tomorrow comes." Climbing back up the ladder, she went back to work with obvious enthusiasm.

By the time the reception room in the park's public building was decorated and the four women went their own ways, Hinata could hardly see Tenten's taillights ahead of her because of the rain sheeting across the road. She clenched the steering wheel of Old Sensible in both hands, wishing the rain would slack off at least a little until they got home and inside.

The drive felt like it took ten times longer than usual, but finally both women pulled into their respective parking places. Hinata grabbed her phone, keys, and purse, then ran after Tenten to the entrance of their condo.

A particularly loud peal of thunder sounded right overhead as Tenten shut the door behind them. "I'm going to turn on the TV and see what's going on," she said. "Are you going to grab some towels?"

Slipping out of her soaking sandals, Hinata nodded. While Tenten turned the weather on, she went to the hall linen closet and grabbed a couple of towels. After handing one to her friend, she worked on drying her hair as she watched the television.

"...storm watch remains in effect for the entire viewing area until one in the morning," Mitarashi Anko was in the process of saying. "But for now, those of you in this area marked in red-" she indicated several towns, including Konoha "-are under a severe thunderstorm_ warning_. Torrential downpours, wind gusts up to sixty miles an hour, and frequent cloud-to-ground lightning have been reported with this storm. Stay indoors, and away from doors and windows during this storm. Power outages are likely-"

As if to prove Anko's words, the power flickered and died completely. Hinata blinked at the sudden darkness and silence, hands arrested with the towel still wrapping her hair.

"Just a sec," Tenten said from somewhere off to Hinata's right. A moment later the screen of her phone flickered to life, and she moved across the room toward the kitchen. "I think we've still got some candles here. Do you know where the matches are?"

"In the cabinet between the stove and fridge," Hinata said, following her friend. Draping the towel around her shoulders, she watched her friend press a button to keep her phone lit while she rummaged through one of the lower cabinets and produced three candles, still shrinkwrapped. "Excellent."

While Tenten retrieved the matches, Hinata pulled out a pretty candelabra she'd bought one day. She hadn't had a chance to use it, though she'd purchased it intending to use it for a party - or a romantic night in when she finally found Mr. Right. Using it during a thunderstorm seemed the next best thing, especially when her only alternative was complete darkness.

While the brunette lit the candles, Hinata headed back out to the hall and her purse. "I'll call the power company," she said. "I imagine they've already got people working on it, but depending on how widespread the outage is, the more reports the better, I think."

"Good idea!" Tenten called. Her shadow moved across the doorway to the kitchen, from which cozy yellow light spilled into a rectangle on the floor. "I know it'll take a while, but I've never been particularly fond of the dark."

"Me either," Hinata muttered. She'd suffered often from night terrors as a child, and though they'd gone away as she got older, she still wasn't particularly fond of the darkness. Enough candlelight from the kitchen showed her the way to her purse, and she reached inside to pull out her phone.

Instead of the mobile device, she pulled out Sasuke's library card. For a moment she stared at it, regret stirring in her chest, and she sighed. She'd halfway intended to take his card to him after they finished decorating, but it had taken longer than expected, and by the time she left the park she didn't want to have to drive any more than necessary.

Besides, Sasuke's looming mansion seemed spooky enough in broad daylight. She could only imagine how creepy it would look at night in a thunderstorm.

Shivering at the thought, Hinata stuffed the card back into her purse with a muttered promise to take it and its smaller companion to him _later_. After the storm, and preferably in the middle of the day when his house's creepiness was at its lowest possible factor.

Tenten appeared in the doorway while Hinata fought her way through the automated system for their power company to report the outage. When the latter finally hung up, she noticed the tears sparkling in the former's eyes. "Hey," she said, feeling uneasy. "Everything's going to be fine, you know." If she said it firmly enough, maybe they'd both believe it.

Sniffing, Tenten swiped at her eyes with the hand not holding the candelabra, which looked pitiful with only three of its holders filled. "With all this rain, the park is going to be so muddy tomorrow. Even if it does dry out in time for the wedding, it's still got to be decorated, and the chairs have to be set up earlier." Letting out a shaky sigh, she shook her head. "It's going to be a total disaster. It's too late to change the location, and I know it sounds ridiculous, but we wanted an outdoor wedding _so badly_! It's selfish of me to say that, since I'm marrying Neji anyway, and I'm so in love with him and I _want_ to marry him, so I should be happy no matter what, but..." She trailed off, breathless and miserable.

Hinata hurried across the room and threw her arms around her friend, careful not to upset the candles and set either of them on fire. "Oh, Tenten, everything is going to be _fine_," she cried, her earlier confidence feeling much more real now. "I don't know how, but it _will_ be. You're just having pre-wedding jitters, which is normal for _every_ bride." She hesitated, then pulled back from her friend and wrinkled her nose. "Or so I've read."

As Hinata hoped, Tenten laughed. "You've read a lot, so I trust your judgement on the matter," she said. Wiping at her eyes again, she smiled and said, "Thanks, Hinata. I needed that laugh."

She was happy to oblige, and said so. "Really, though, Tenten. Somehow, we're all going to make sure everything goes off without a hitch. Even if we have to hijack my father's _back yard_ to make sure you get your outdoor wedding, this is going to happen." Hinata would guarantee it, no matter what she had to do.

Tenten smiled and nodded. "You're right. Everything is going to be fine."

Hinata just hoped she could keep up her end of the promise when push came to shove.

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ So much tension in the first part of the chapter! But I _adore_ Karura - she's such a joy to write. Her personality just sparks off the page, and I love writing her, especially around Ninja and Sasuke in particular. And the second half of the chapter - so many exciting things! But power outages are not fun - and storms the night before the wedding? Aiyee! Poor Tenten. But where would be the fun in smooth sailing, right? So much exciting stuff in store in the coming chapters... Thank you so much for reading this one, I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope to see you again for next week's chapter!


	12. Pact

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _CrimsonNight41_, _Tamani_, _Guest_, _Sachiko Heiwajima_, _Renoa Heartilly_, _wolf-enzeru_, _Heavenly Swirl_, _Divine Glory_, _abbyciel_, _ImCutePoison_, and _rao hyuga 18_ for all your reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this story (and me!) to your favorites and follows lists!

**Author's Note:** Eek, so many exciting things coming up in the next few chapters! Things are really starting to kick into gear and get moving now, so I'm really looking forward to getting to those developments! Thank you all so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter XII~*<strong>

_~Pact~_

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><p>Even though Sasuke always dragged out of bed at the crack of dawn, he <em>still<em> didn't beat his sister-in-law. When he got to the kitchen, Temari already stood there, wearing shorts and a sleeveless tee, gulping down a bottle of water. She still wore jogging shoes; a sheen of sweat sparkled on her face and arms.

"Jogging already?" Sasuke felt like he could barely keep his eyelids pried open. The thought of doing any sort of demanding physical activity so early in the morning made him want to curl up in bed and hide for the rest of the day. He was in pretty good shape, if he didn't say so himself, but he worked out at a far more reasonable hour. Like, in the afternoon.

Resting the sweating bottle of water against her forehead, Temari grinned wryly. "I just never got out of the habit. I'm not really playing a lot of tennis anymore, just the occasional celebrity exhibition, and I wanted to get back in shape after Karura was born. So I started jogging. And of course I strength-train as well." She held out her arms, as if to demonstrate how muscular and fit she was.

Sasuke bit back the urge to snark back, "I'm _not_ your husband, go look for appreciation elsewhere." He shuffled to the fridge. "Help yourself to anything for breakfast. I'm having coffee, toast, and eggs and bacon." His usual. Perhaps not the healthiest of breakfasts, but he liked it and didn't see a reason to change his diet just because his health-nut sister-in-law was in for a visit.

"I'm not ready to eat yet, but thanks." Finishing off her water, Temari recapped the bottle and tossed it into the recycle bin next to the door leading from the kitchen to the garage. "See you in a bit." The blonde wagged her fingers and left the kitchen; a moment later, he heard her soft footsteps jogging up the stairs.

"Crazy morning people." Yawning, Sasuke turned on the skillet to heat as he started the coffee and got out his mug, plate, and silverware. As the scent of percolating coffee filled his nose, he got started on his morning protein.

After breakfast, Sasuke put his dirty dishes in the dishwasher, poured himself another cup of coffee, and went to his office. Ninja followed him, not seeming bothered in the least that the usually empty house had three guests. As long as no one made any threatening moves toward him or his master, Ninja was perfectly fine with guests. Most of the time, Sasuke considered this a good thing; right now, he felt it was more of a downside.

While he waited for his computer to boot up, Sasuke stared out the window into the backyard. The grass glittered wetly from the storm the night before. Though the power hadn't actually gone out, it had flickered a few times. Sometime after midnight he'd heard Karura run past the door to his bedroom, and knew she must be going to take refuge with her parents. Poor kid, being so afraid of thunderstorms.

Then again, his big brave guard dog half-crawled under the bed to try to hide from the nasty thunder, so perhaps he shouldn't be so judgemental of his niece.

Scratching behind Ninja's ears with his left hand, Sasuke used his right on the mouse to click open the folder for his newest, untitled project. Selecting his research document and the tentative outline, he brought them up the screen and critically eyed the latter. Things were shaping up nicely, but he still didn't actually have enough to start the writing process.

He could practically hear the clock in the back of his head ticking away, threatening him because he was running out of time. Sasuke's books always released at the same time every year. He would have to hand in his replacement novel _very_ soon to have a prayer of keeping publication on track.

Around nine, Sasuke heard the sounds of Itachi, Temari, and Karura in the kitchen. He thought about going out to talk to them, or fix their breakfast, or just say good morning, but ultimately decided against it. He wasn't a good host, and never pretended to be. They could fend for themselves; after all, they'd already made themselves at home.

Ten-thirty brought his niece into the office. Sasuke saved his work and just managed to close out the document before Karura reached him. Itachi and Temari would _kill_ Sasuke if their kid was exposed to anything even remotely resembling what her uncle wrote for a living. She could already read several steps above her grade level, and he knew she'd not have much trouble at all deciphering what had been on the screen a second ago.

"Hey, short stuff." Pulling Karura onto his lap, Sasuke gave her a hug and smiled as Ninja licked the girl's bare feet, making her laugh and squirm. "Good morning."

"Mornin'." Karura leaned down to pat Ninja's head, then glanced over her shoulder. "Whatcha been doin', Uncle Sasuke?"

"Earning my keep," he replied. "I'm working on plotting out my next novel."

Karura wrinkled her nose. "I keep begging Mama and Papa to let me read your books, but they keep telling me _no_. I don't know why not!"

Sasuke did, but he wasn't quite sure how much Itachi and Temari shared about his writings with their kid. He didn't dare inadvertently give her a little too much of an education without consulting with them first. "I write books for adults, and even though you're grown-up for your age, you're _not_ quite to that stage yet."

"Aww." Karura folded her arms across her chest and pouted. "You need to write some kids' books, Uncle Sasuke. Not like _little_ kid books, but something I could read. I want to read what you write. I like having a writer for an uncle. I tell the kids at school about you all the time."

He blinked, feeling oddly flattered. Sasuke had no idea his niece - who really only knew him as a voice on the phone twice a year until now - felt that way about him. He wasn't quite sure what to say.

Looking at him over her shoulder, Karura wrinkled her brow and said, "Did you hear me? You need to write books I can read. Now. I don't wanna have to wait until I'm older to read your books. It's _forever_ away, and that's too long."

Sasuke hugged his niece again, his throat suddenly hot and tight. Karura had grown up so much, so fast, from the last time he saw her. He wanted to put on the brakes, to be around her more so he didn't miss so much of her life. He wished he could tell her she was growing up plenty fast and not to be in such a hurry, but his voice didn't want to cooperate with him.

"Tell you what," he finally said, voice hoarse, "I'll see what I can do about that book for you, okay? I'll work on it. I can't promise anything, but I'll give it my best. Okay?"

Karura grinned, and he saw she was missing one of her teeth. When did that happen? "Thanks, Uncle Sasuke!" After turning around, she wrapped her skinny arms around his neck, hugged him fiercely, then squirmed off his lap and ran for the door, Ninja hard on her heels. "Mama, Papa! Uncle Sasuke is gonna write a book _just_ for _me_!"

_Oh, great._ Both Itachi and Temari knew very well what he wrote. Sasuke knew he'd have both of them breathing down his neck in approximately five seconds. He hoped they'd give him a _little_ bit of the benefit of the doubt; he wouldn't write a thriller for his five-year-old niece, no matter how grown-up she seemed.

Turning back toward his computer, he smiled slightly and shook his head. _A kid's book, huh? Well, it's not my usual fare, but I made a promise, so I have to give it a try._

Sasuke opened a fresh window and settled his fingers on the keys, closing his eyes so he could concentrate better. _Who knows? Maybe I'll discover something new. Never hurts to try, right?_

* * *

><p>Hinata woke to her alarm, wishing she could get about four hours of extra sleep. The storm had kept both her and Tenten awake far later into the night than they wanted, and the power coming back on had wakened them again around four in the morning. Thankfully both women's cell phones were charged so they could use the built-in alarms to wake themselves.<p>

She met Tenten in the kitchen, where her soon-to-be-cousin-in-law was just finishing up a pot of tea. "Here," the brunette murmured, holding out a cup toward Hinata. "Tea. As in, the _caffeinated_ kind."

"Thank you, Tenten." Hinata could stand neither the smell (like skunk) or the taste (like motor oil) of coffee, and Tenten felt the same, so the two women kept several different kinds of teas on hand for all their moods - and times of the day. "What time is our appointment at the hairdresser's?"

Tenten consulted her phone. "Eleven-thirty. We'll all get that done, then grab a quick lunch of sandwiches before heading over to the park." She shot an anxious glance toward the window. "Sakura texted me a few minutes ago to let me know she was headed over there to check out the place and see how wet things are." She set aside her steaming mug of tea, rubbing her arms as she paced around the kitchen. "I'm not sure I want to know."

"It stopped raining around one this morning," Hinata said. "And the wedding isn't until six this evening. Reasonably, things _should_ be dry enough by then. The decorators can hold off on setting everything up until around three or so, which gives the place fourteen hours to dry out."

"But only a few of those include sunlight." Tenten nibbled on her thumb knuckle, her eyes narrow as she stared out the window. "I know I'm just overblowing this whole thing because it's my wedding day, I'm nervous and excited, and I want _everything_ to be perfect. But I can't help it."

"You're not overblowing things," Hinata said, carrying her cup to the toaster. She knew her friend wouldn't want much for breakfast, and to be honest, she didn't either, really. There were too many nerves and too much excitement in the hours to come to eat anything significant.

Tenten's phone rang, and she immediately answered it and lifted it to her ear. "Hello, Sakura? Thank you _so_ much for going over there and checking, and getting back to me so quickly."

Hinata sipped her tea and watched the changing expressions on her friend's face, feeling her heart begin to sink as it went from hope, to disappointment, to despair.

"I - I don't..." Tenten trailed off, took a deep breath, then began again. "Thank you, Sakura. I'll call you back as soon as I know what's going on." She hung up, then cupped her forehead with the hand not holding the phone, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "I don't believe it," she whispered.

Hinata ignored the bread's popping out of the toaster and went to stand next to her friend. "It's too wet?" she asked.

"No, that's not it." Tenten pinched the bridge of her nose, then dropped her hand and stared at Hinata with tear-filmed eyes. "During the storm last night, one of the trees close behind the gazebo got struck by lightning. It sheared in half, and fell right on top of the gazebo. It's pretty much crushed, thus unusable. The building booked for the reception is fine, but the scene of the wedding is _not_."

Hinata hugged her friend tightly, sensing how close to out-of-control Tenten felt. She knew Neji and Tenten had made a back-up plan for an indoor wedding, but it didn't seem fair to make them do it that way when they wanted an outdoor wedding so badly.

A few seconds later, Tenten pulled away from Hinata and headed toward the doorway to their spacious sitting room. "I'm going to call Neji," she said. "At this point, I don't think it much matters one way or the other if he talks to me before the wedding." She vanished.

As soon as her friend was out of sight, Hinata turned her gaze toward her own phone. There was one thing she could do to try to salvage her friend's and cousin's wedding, but she knew it would have repercussions. All she had to do was make sure the backlash landed on her, not them.

Picking up her phone, she dialed a too-familiar number and waited through the ringing for the person on the other end to pick up. When he did, Hinata closed her eyes and said, "Father? It's Hinata. I - I need your help."

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><p>The back garden of the Hyuuga estate looked absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful. Hinata stood in the upstairs bedroom she used to call her own and looked down at the stone path leading from the back verandah to the large space in the center of the garden where the gazebo stood, nestled in a cocooning circle of rosebushes. Chairs had been set up on the perfectly manicured ground in a half-circle on either side of the place where the path met the clearing, giving the already-arriving guests a perfect view of where the wedding would take place.<p>

The air was heavy with humidity, but weather reports indicated the coming storm would not arrive until after dark. For now, the sun still shone warmly on the garden, illuminating the perfect setting for Neji and Tenten's wedding. It had been no problem for the decorators to take what they'd intended for the park and move it to the Hyuuga estate. Hinata fought against a feeling of resentment that everything looked even _better_ than it would have in the original location.

Wearing a plain white wrapper, Tenten stepped up next to Hinata, her hair styled into an elaborately braided twist atop her head, her nails painted with beautiful shades of carmine and gold. Though she would be wearing an American-style dress for the wedding, she'd chosen a Mandarin dress for the reception and had had her nails painted to match. "Everything is _so_ beautiful," she told Hinata softly. "Thank you so much for calling and arranging everything with your father."

Hinata smiled down at the spectacle below, hearing everything Tenten didn't say. She knew Hiashi had banned her fiancé from the Hyuuga premises, and for Hinata to have arranged for the wedding to be in the garden meant things neither woman wanted to discuss - at least not right before such a happy event.

Ever since arriving, Hinata had tried to avoid Neji. Being closeted with Tenten and her other attendants in her old room helped, but she knew her cousin would corner her at some point to talk about the ramifications of her actions. It was not a conversation she anticipated joyfully.

"Father did most of the work arranging for everything to be brought here on such short notice," Hinata said, trying to deflect attention off herself. "He also arranged for a limo to take you and Neji over to the reception. Father's secretary took care of alerting the guests, and now here we are." She held up her hands with as happy a smile she could muster. "It's amazing what connections-" _and money_ "-will accomplish."

Tenten accepted Hinata's words - both audible and not - with a nod. "Still - thanks for everything, Hinata. Neji and I will _never_ forget this. If you ever need anything..."

Smiling again, Hinata hugged her friend and said, "Just consider this a part of my present to you both." She didn't want either one to feel guilty, or like they owed her anything. She'd rather they all moved past this as quickly as possible.

Sakura slipped into the room, a big grin on her face. "You ready to get into your dress, Tenten?"

As the brunette left the window to put on her dress, Hinata took one last look at the lavish display below - expensive in more ways than one - and went to help.

It didn't take long to help Tenten into her gown; then her three attendants hurried into their own. The Mandarin-style dresses, all done in shades of red, black, and gold, looked even more dramatic against the paleness of Tenten's white sheath. After helping Tenten with her veil and picking up their individual bouquets, the four women were ready for the bridal procession.

Only a few moments later, Maito Gai, Tenten's martial arts _sensei_ and the closest thing she'd had to a father since her own family passed away, knocked on the door. All the guests had arrived and the wedding was set to begin.

Hinata went downstairs with Sakura and Ino, butterflies jumping and swirling and diving around in her stomach. She wasn't even the _bride_, and she felt so nervous she thought she might faint. There were a thousand things running through her mind, admonitions not to trip over her own two feet, or walk too fast, drop her bouquet, forget to smile, and most of all don't faint, don't faint, _don't faint_!

Wouldn't that be a good way to ruin the wedding - the groom's cousin and bride's maid of honor fainting dead away in the aisle?

Schooling her face against the flinch which wanted to creep out, Hinata stood at the top of the steps leading to the path from the verandah and listened for her musical cue. While she waited, she did a final checklist to make sure everything was all right - her hair, dress, shoes, flowers...

The music changed to Pachelbel's _Canon_. Ino stifled a nervous giggle before she headed down the aisle, her yellow hair gleaming even brighter in the sunlight. Sakura started counting almost inaudibly under her breath. When she reached ten, she put her shoulders back and followed after.

Hinata began her own count. At the end of it she drew a deep breath and straightened her spine. As she drifted down the path, she could see the top of the gazebo over the bushes. When she entered the clearing she saw the guests, Neji, his best man, and the groomsmen and bridesmaids.

The faces of the guests on either side of her blurred as she passed by, while she tried to keep her focus forward and the smile on her face. She stepped past Shikamaru and Ino, standing opposite each other on either side of the path, then onto the first step, where Lee stood grinning across from Sakura, and then stopped on the last step, where Naruto gave her a wink and a covert thumbs-up.

For a moment, the music stopped, and a hush of anticipation fell over everyone in the clearing. Hinata felt her stomach twist, and she glanced up at Neji, who was focused on the path between the bushes, a look of such longing on his face she wanted to cry.

And then the bridal march began, and Tenten appeared.

The wedding had finally, truly, begun.

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ I love weddings! I had so much fun writing the lead-up into Neji and Tenten's, even despite all the scary and stressful things that happened. But everything still managed to go off without a hitch! But at a price... But before you all freak out too much, let me just say - I have a plan! And I like to think it's a good one. And I'm a huge fan of happy endings, so take that as you will. I promise it's not too many more chapters before you find out the cause of all the tension between Sasuke and his brother and sister-in-law. Thank you all so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you again for the next update!


	13. Fracture

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _MuffinMan9223_, _Tamani_, _ToadetteGirl2012_, _wolf-enzeru_, _Break Blade_, _Guest_, _ImCutePoison_, _Dani Stark_, _DivineGlory_, _Melanieciel_, _Sasukexhinataxoc_, _HeavenlySwirl_, _oCloudNine_, and _XxMelony-kunXx_ for all your reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this to their favorites and follows lists!

**Author's Note: **At last, some answers! In this chapter, we finally get to find out the root of the tension Sasuke holds toward Itachi and Temari. Also, some fun at the wedding reception! Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter XIII~*<strong>

_~Fracture~_

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><p>Through the meal and the speeches, Hinata managed to avoid her cousin. Though they were sitting at the same table, thankfully Tenten was between them. She and Neji kept each other occupied enough Hinata felt reasonably sure they could have been sitting in a nightclub and not have noticed the strobe lights and ear-piercing music. The fact their wedding had just taken place in the Hyuuga gardens thankfully seemed to have slipped both their minds.<p>

In fact, Hinata started to let herself think she was off the hook. Relaxing back into her seat, she took a sip of her wine and smiled at the full room. The wedding had been an intimate affair, with only family and their closest friends (and their immediate families) in attendance. The reception was only slightly larger, including Neji's coworkers from the hospital where he worked as an ER doctor, and Tenten's fellow employees from the antique shop.

After the speeches were finished, the band set up in the adjoining room switched from playing background music to dance tunes, and the dancing began. Hinata stood on the sidelines with the rest of the attendants as Neji and Tenten waltzed around the dance floor alone, moving seamlessly and beautifully together.

For the second song, the attendants joined in. Hinata felt the butterflies in her stomach flutter up into her throat as she placed her hand in Naruto's strong, tanned one, her own small and pale in comparison as he hurried them toward the dance floor. The song started, and her blond escort enthusiastically swung her around the floor, grinning exuberantly. It wasn't a particularly fast song, but Hinata admired the way he energetically threw himself into it.

"You know," Naruto said conversationally after a couple of turns, "I thought Neji was joking when he called me and said the wedding was being moved to your dad's place. It was such a last-minute thing, I thought he couldn't be serious. But what do you know? There we all were. It was so nice of your old man to offer the place, Hinata."

Hinata smiled thinly. "Yes, it was, wasn't it?" Her father hadn't done a nice thing just because since... Well, Hinata wasn't sure he ever had. He always had ulterior motives for his ulterior motives, and this one had been a real doozy. "I'm glad everything worked out all right." And she really was. Although a few times she'd started to wonder.

They spun past Neji and Tenten, and Hinata caught her cousin's eye. He looked at her with that _we _will_ talk_ expression she was quite familiar with, and she fought the urge to cringe. She'd hoped to avoid the unpleasantness of such a conversation.

For more than just that reason, she wished she could dance with Naruto for the rest of the evening. But unfortunately, the song ended far too soon. Neji claimed her, and Naruto snagged Sakura and took her spinning off. Fortunately, this song had a little faster tempo.

The song played for a few moments, and Neji and Hinata danced smoothly for a few steps before he finally spoke. "I know why Uncle let us have the wedding at the house," he said.

Hinata couldn't tell by the expression on his face whether he was pleased or upset. "It wasn't fair for you and Tenten to have your wedding inside when you'd been looking forward to having an outdoor wedding for so many years. It was a beautiful day. It wasn't like it was raining, or even cloudy!"

"Please don't misunderstand me: Tenten and I will be forever grateful for what you did for us. But I know what the price must have been, considering. You agreed to let Hanabi move in with you, didn't you?" Neji's eyes were neither disapproving nor angry, but she sensed the coolness in his demeanor. However, she knew it was not meant for her, and reacted accordingly.

"Yes, I did." Why try to deny it? "But look at it this way; I have an entire week to myself before she moves in a week from today."

"Just enough of a taste of freedom to get addicted before it's yanked cruelly away," Neji predicted darkly. Hinata had heard he possessed the best bedside manner in the hospital; she always privately thought he made up for it in his personal life. He'd always seen things from a slightly more pessimistic view than she. And, for that matter, Hanabi.

Fortunately, Tenten had enough optimism to hold them both afloat.

"That's what I'm afraid of." The words slipped out of Hinata's mouth before she could stop them. When Neji looked at her with just a hint of _I told you so_ in his eyes, she sighed. "I know, I _know_. Believe me, I completely understand what I'm getting myself into. But it's totally worth it, for you and Tenten to get the wedding of your dreams." And it wasn't like Hanabi could move in more than once. Right?

Then again, if anyone could manage it, it would be her little sister...

Neji escorted her to the edge of the floor and bowed just as the song ended. "Thank you, Hinata. For _everything_." He kissed her cheek, then went to steal (rescue?) his wife from Rock Lee's _overly_ enthusiastic dancing.

She sighed as she watched the newlyweds go back to dancing together. They truly did make a handsome couple. She was glad she'd been able to do something to make their special day everything they'd hoped it would be.

And if she lost her freedom in the deal - well, it was worth it.

Hopefully.

* * *

><p>Despite his best efforts to the contrary, Sasuke once again ran into his sister-in-law alone in the kitchen. He felt tempted just to turn around and walk right back out, but the movement of him in the doorway caught her eye; he couldn't leave without looking like a coward. Or like he was avoiding her.<p>

Both of which were true. But Sasuke had a feeling Itachi wouldn't appreciate his wife being treated in such a way.

Sasuke couldn't force himself to smile, but at least he kept himself from grimacing. That was a point in his favor, he supposed. "Is there anything in particular you needed?"

Temari, who held yet another bottle of water in her hand, shook her head. "I was just thirsty." She flipped the bottle cap through the fingers of her free hand, teal eyes watching her action with unnatural absorbtion. "I didn't want to come, you know," she said abruptly.

Sasuke, who had just leaned into the fridge and reached for an orange, cracked his head hard enough to see stars and let out a curse, he came out again so fast. "What?" He'd gotten the impression Temari didn't want to be in the house and around him, obviously, but he _never_ thought she'd come out and _say_ so to his face.

Pink crept up her neck and into her cheeks. "It's probably not for the reason you think," she said defensively. Setting aside the cap, Temari drained the last of the water before continuing. "I'm not an idiot. I could tell you didn't like me the first time Itachi introduced us."

"And _you_ like _me_?" Sasuke continued to rub the throbbing, developing knot on the back of his head as he raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

A wry grin twiched up the corners of Temari's lips. "Not really," she said, with a little laugh. "To be honest, you get on my nerves. But I know the feeling is mutual. And at least we both love Itachi, which helps us get along every now and then."

He lifted the hand not cradling his head in agreement.

"Besides, needling you is always a source of geat amusement for me." Temari grinned again, then allowed it to fade away. "But no, that's not the reason why I didn't want to come. To be perfectly frank, I knew you wouldn't want us here. Not right now."

Sasuke knew, even before Itachi told him so, that he would share everything with Temari, simply becuase she was his wife. But hearing proof of it made him feel almost angry. In some ways, family secrets should stay that way - especially considering how many black ones the Uchiha family tree had grown. "I've never pretended to be a good host. But I'll never turn away family." Especially not Karura. He put up with his brother and sister-in-law so he could spend time with her. He needed to enjoy every last second of his time with her, because several years would probably pass before he saw her again.

"Itachi banked on that fact." Temari pulled out one of the stools along the counter and perched on it, setting down her empty bottle so she could play with her cap with both hands. Her deep pink painted nails gleamed with a satiny light. "I can't tell you how hard it was for him to decide to call you. He sat on the bed for almost two hours, just staring at the phone. The first time he voiced the doubt that coming was a bad idea, I thought he was talking to me. It didn't take me long to realize he was arguing with himself."

Well, at least that partially explained _why_, exactly, the call had come so late at night. The time difference between England and America notwithstanding, of course. "Obviously he eventually made up his mind to call."

"Obviously," Temari agreed. "But it wasn't easy. He thought you'd turn us all away, which I silently agreed was probably true. He also thought you might ban us from the premises forever, which I privately thought was probably_ not_ true. I know the only reason why you're tolerating us being here is because of Karura." She tilted her head to the side and smiled in a way only a proud mother can achieve. "I admit she kind of has a way of getting people to like her without much effort."

Karura indeed had a gift. Even Sasuke, who would much rather spend his time with the characters he made up for his books than a real person, loved every second spent with his niece. "I didn't like the idea at first - your coming, I mean. But now that you're here..." He trailed off. On a day like today, haunted by so many ghosts and memories, it was nice not to be alone. July nineteenth of this year had, on the whole, been a better day than ones in years past.

"Please don't stay angry at Itachi forever," Temari whispered. She must have felt Sasuke's sharp, surprised look, since her face was turned away and she couldn't see it. She dipped her head. "He never meant to hurt you, Sasuke."

"Why doesn't he tell me that himself, then?" Sasuke stiffened his jaw, wishing he hadn't asked a question to which he didn't want to know the answer.

Temari looked at him, in surprise this time. "He didn't think you'd listen." She tilted her head slightly. "To be honest, I'm surprised you're even listening to _me_."

Sasuke flexed his hands at his sides simply for something to do. Otherwise, he had a feeling he might start throwing things, punching things, or a combination of both. "If he never meant to hurt me, he shouldn't have left only a _year_ - _to the day _- after our parents _died_." The words spit out from between his teeth in sharp, short bursts interspersed with unsteady breaths.

His sister-in-law's teal eyes sparked slightly. "You're not the only one who was hurting," she said, her voice a little sharp. "Think about it, Sasuke. You kept insisting you wanted nothing more than to be alone - you'd been doing that for years, even _before_ your parents died in that plane crash. Seriously, what else was Itachi supposed to do? Staying here made him miserable, and he _thought_ it made you miserable, too."

He winced, even though he tried to contain it. Temari was right, as much as he hated to admit it. He _had_ kept pushing Itachi away, insisting he'd rather be alone. But he hadn't wanted his brother to leave, not really. Especially not on the first anniversary of the crash which changed their lives forever.

But he was stubborn, and Itachi was too, though not quite to the same extent. "Can I ask you a question, Temari?"

Those watchful eyes narrowed. Temari pulled her head back a little in obvious suspicion. "What?" she asked warily.

"Why did you quit tennis when you did?" Sasuke held up one hand when Temari's eyes and mouth opened in startlement, forestalling her answer. "I'm not talking about the reason you gave the press. And I'm not saying I don't believe that reason, or don't think it's true. But I want the _whole_ truth, and I don't think that's it."

Temari slowly closed her mouth, her gaze turning from suspicion to thoughtfulness. "Most of it _is_ why I said: I was tired of traveling all over the world _all the time_, only spending a few days here and there at home. Itachi was with me most of the time, naturally, but it wasn't really a _life_. And there was no way we could have children while I continued to play tennis. I would have to leave them too long, or drag them out everywhere with me after my maternity leave was over. And that wasn't good for said children, Itachi, _or_ me."

When she paused, Sasuke remained silent. He could tell she was trying to figure out the best way to say what she wanted to next.

At last, Temari continued - hesitantly at first, then with growing confidence. "I was twenty-seven years old. I'd been playing tennis since I was old enough to get the ball over the net; I'd been playing _professionally_ since I was sixteen. I'd won four career Grand Slams, and everyone said I was at the top of my game." She finally allowed the bottle cap to fall from her hands onto the counter, and she looked directly at Sasuke as she finished. "I _did_ want a family. But deep down inside, there was something I _didn't _want more. I was a coward, because I didn't want to watch my career - my ability to _win_ - start going downhill."

Sasuke had suspected that was the reason, but hadn't actually had the courage to ask before now. His hands unconsciously curled into fists at his side, because he could understand her reasoning, feel it resonating so powerfully inside him in a thousand ways he didn't want it to do.

"I've watched my peers from both women's and men's tennis hit the pinnacle of their career - and then start a downhill slide. But they still keep playing, and sliding, and suddenly the accolades they received before turn into admonitions. 'She should stop because she can't keep up with the younger generation of players coming up through the ranks,' everyone says. Or, 'He used to be great, but now he's mediocre at best.'" Temari blinked rapidly. For a moment, she looked so haunted, almost _frightened_, before her usual calm, assured mask settled back into place. "I didn't want to be like that. I wanted to quit while I was ahead, at the top of my game, coming off an _undefeated_ season. I wanted to go out on _my_ terms, when everyone knew me as one of the great players, and admired me. I wanted to go out with a bang, not a whimper." She looked at him uncertainly, one side of her mouth twisted; in self-derision or self-defense, he didn't know.

Sasuke remembered Jiraiya's words, and all the feelings which had accompanied hearing them. He'd never intended to quit at the pinnacle of his career. But at the same time, the idea of going on a downhill slide and watching his abilities diminish, his fan base turn on him... His palms went slick suddenly as the hair on the back of his neck prickled forebodingly. Did he have another novel in him? Let alone _more_ than just one more novel? He didn't know. Wasn't even sure he wanted to find out.

Temari propped the heel of her right foot on the seat of her stool and rested her chin on it. "You know something?" she asked. Without waiting for Sasuke to respond, she went on. "I didn't have the courage to face such a thing. But that was me. You know that old saying, 'Courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to face it head-on and continue regardless'? I didn't have any courage when push came to shove. I couldn't even admit to the whole world my _entire_ reason for quitting when I did." Standing, she tossed her empty bottle in the recycle bin next to the kitchen door then came to stand in front of Sasuke, staring him right in the eye and holding his gaze so he couldn't look away. "You might think you're a coward, Sasuke. But I know you're not. You've got far more strength than you realize. Strength to face Itachi, your fans, your agent, your next book." A wry grin kicked up one corner of her mouth, and she winked. "And with Itachi, me, your agent, and your fans behind you - eh, I think you can do it." She squeezed his shoulder on the way past him out of the kitchen, leaving Sasuke standing frozen between the counter and fridge.

It was the most civil conversation he'd ever had with his sister-in-law. When he first met her, he'd seen so many of the things he hated in himself in Temari, making him dislike her all the more strongly. But now...

Now, Temari had told him something he knew she'd not shared with many people - if _any_, even Itachi. He could tell she didn't regret leaving tennis when she did, but she regretted some of her reasons. She'd offered him a chance to learn from her mistakes, to keep from following in her footsteps and repeating them.

It was a gift unlike any he'd ever received before, and one he knew he certainly didn't deserve.

Sucking in a a lungful of air, Sasuke drew deeply from his hidden reserve of courage and went to face his brother. It was way past time for them to have a long, serious talk.

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ Poor Hinata. But, at the same time, I love how selfless she is, giving up her much-desired freedom so her cousin and best friend could have the wedding of their dreams. And I love, love, _love_ the backstory in this chapter in Sasuke's scene. A lot of the tension between Sasuke and Temari is from his side - because he sees too many similarities between them, and doesn't like it. And it was such a difficult situation, back when Sasuke and Itachi's parents died, and though neither one really handled it the way they _should_ have, they did the best they could at the time. Next chapter we'll get some time with the brothers, and a much-needed conversation. Also, I know a lot of people said they were looking forward to the wedding, but it kind of felt like I'd be rehashing something that has been done to death if I wrote the actual ceremony. So I'm sorry you didn't get to see the wedding itself - but I hope you liked the scene at the reception! One last thing - a lot of people have been asking when Sasuke and Hinata will encounter each other again - and the answer is chapter 15! So just one more chapter between now and then. I know they haven't seen each other in a few, but everything that is happening in these intervening chapters is important to the story and can't be skipped. Please bear with me, guys, I promise it'll be worth it in the end. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you again for next week's update!


	14. Purpose

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _Tamani_, _DivineGlory_, _Sachiko Heiwajima_, _Kibachow_, _Melanieciel_, _Orokashii_, _XxMelony-kunXx_, _Ermilus_, _rao hyuga 18_, and _CrimsonNight41_ for all your reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this to their favorites and follows lists!

**Author's Note:** I've updated three stories three days in a row. _Wow_! Lots of interesting things happening this chapter, including a lot more backstory on the tension between Sasuke and Itachi. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter XIV~*<strong>

_~Purpose~_

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><p>Hinata unlocked the door of her and Tenten's (now just <em>her<em>) condo and stepped inside, feeling both lonely and accomplished since she had the whole place to herself.

Flipping on the light, she slid off her shoes and set her keys in the little rose-patterned porcelain dish on the hall credenza. Leaning down, she picked up her dressy sandals by their straps and padded barefoot into the family room, where she looked around and decided though it looked a tad empty without Tenten's knick-knacks sitting around, she rather liked it anyway.

After exchanging her dress for a pair of lounging pants and a loose t-shirt promoting one of her favorite bands, Hinata went back into the sitting room and turned on the television. She certainly felt tired enough to go to bed - it had been a very long week, and an even longer few months before that getting ready for the wedding - but she still felt too wound up to sleep.

_I danced with Naruto_. Leaning her head back against the armrest, Hinata closed her eyes and relived every moment, her feet twitching in time with the music in her head, palms tingling at the memory of Naruto's hand in hers, her opposite on his broad, solid shoulder. She wished she could have danced several more with him - or even _every_ dance, save for the one she had with Neji - but that was just plain selfish of her.

At least she had the one dance to remember. A dreamy smile curled her lips, and she sighed at the knowledge she'd have sweet, sweet sleep tonight. No nightmares for her, not since she'd be dancing on air the whole night!

She must have fallen into a shallow doze, for the next time she opened her eyes it was one in the morning and some ninja anime was playing on television. The hero kind of reminded her of Naruto, but she turned it off anyway. She went to get a drink before heading for bed, where she could sleep much more comfortably than on the couch.

Hinata had just lifted a half-full glass of water to her lips when she remembered Sasuke's library cards. Sputtering on the drink she'd just taken, she slapped her forehead with the heel of her hand and scolded herself for forgetting to take them to him. She'd meant to do it after she left the reception, but she'd stayed to help with the cleanup effort and hadn't left until almost eleven.

It was probably just as well she'd forgotten. She didn't figure the King of Thrillers (or so some of his fans had called him during his meet and greet at the library the Wednesday just past) would like having someone dressed in wedding finery knocking on his front door at such a late hour. He'd probably call the police or something.

Sighing, Hinata set her glass aside and checked to make sure the doors were locked before she went to bed. As she brushed her teeth, she typed a note on her phone to remind her to do it after she woke up. Surely arriving in broad daylight on a Sunday afternoon in regular clothing wouldn't freak either of them out _too_ badly.

Besides, she could make the trip count double. Neji and Tenten's flat was across town, closer to where Sasuke lived. She'd promised to drop off the last of her ex-roommate's boxes while the honeymooners were in the Bahamas. There was certainly no time like the present to make it happen.

She spit and rinsed, then put away her toothbrush and turned off the bathroom light. Her bed beckoned, and with it, good dreams of dancing all night in the arms of her crush since childhood.

...As long as the creepy horror novelist and his subject matter didn't intrude, obviously.

That would be just her luck.

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><p>Sasuke waited until Temari took Karura upstairs to put her to bed to approach Itachi, reasonably sure his sister-in-law would stay upstairs and give them a good chunk of time together.<p>

Hovering in the doorway to the library, he just couldn't decide if that was a good thing or a bad one.

_Now's as good a time as any, I suppose_, he decided after a couple of minutes passed. Lowering himself onto a chair across from the one in which Itachi sat reading, he cleared his throat to get his brother's attention.

Itachi's eyes darted up from the book to his brother, eyebrows raised as if wondering if Sasuke had _actually_ just tried to get his attention. "Was that you?" he asked doubtfully.

_No, it was the ghost._ Deciding that would be decidedly poor humor, especially considering the day, Sasuke nodded. "I wondered if you had a few minutes to - to - well, _talk_." He was an _author_, for goodness sake. Shouldn't he be able to find a better way to say that, other than just _we should talk_?

Closing the book in his hand with a sharp _snap_, Itachi eyed his brother speculatively. "I do if you do." His expression turned inscrutable, though Sasuke didn't miss the flash of hope it quickly veiled.

Unfortunately, Sasuke had nothing _but_ time on his hands. Temari seemed to think Itachi would listen, if only Sasuke took the time to say something, so he bit the bullet and went on ahead. "I want to apologize. I know I really pushed you away so hard after Mom and Father died, and it wasn't right of me. Especially for being so angry with you for leaving after that." It hadn't been logical, but he had been anything but logical at the time.

Itachi's gaze dropped to the cover of the book on his lap, and Sasuke was surprised to see it was one of his own: _Head Shot_, to be specific. One of his own personal favorites. "It wasn't entirely your fault. I could have stayed."

Sasuke shrugged. "I was eighteen - well, almost; a legal adult, and pressuring you to let me stretch my wings. Every conversation we tried to have wound up declining rapidly into an argument. I know I drove you crazy. I don't _blame_ you for leaving. Not anymore." It surprised him, the truth in those words. He'd had many years to think about it, and neither of them had handled the situation the way they should have. Neither of them were really entirely at fault.

It also hadn't helped that their parents had died four days before Sasuke's seventeenth birthday. Fugaku and Mikoto had promised him a surprise trip, for which they had been scheduled to leave on the twenty-first, two days after the plane crash which killed them. To this day, Sasuke still didn't know the planned destination of his trip. Though Itachi did, he had refused to let his older brother tell him. Maybe it was time for that to change, too.

Itachi cleared his throat this time, drawing Sasuke from his thoughts. "Another thing that didn't help, I'm sure, is introducing Temari to you after she was already my fiancée - only two months before the wedding and three years after the crash. I know that's part of the reason why you don't like her, but I promise, Sasuke, it's not her fault. She kept telling me she wanted to meet you earlier, that she _should_ meet you earlier. But I didn't know what to say, how to tell you. Eventually push came to shove, and I knew if I wanted you to be in my wedding, I needed to tell you."

"It felt like you weren't the least bit bothered about _anything_, like I was," Sasuke admitted quietly. He kept his gaze focused on the crossed katana on the wall over the fireplace, unable to look his brother in the face, let alone the eye. "You took over the family company and traveled the world, and I only got the occasional phone call every now and then. Which, I admit, I ignored; but only because I was mad you weren't coming _home_. And then, after three years of virtual silence, you show up one day with one of the world's top tennis players on your arm and announce out-of-the-blue you're getting married." He shook his head. "Seriously, how was I supposed to accept that?"

"Not well, I see in hindsight," Itachi said dryly. "I'm sorry I didn't make more of an effort to keep in touch. And that I forced you into doing so many things before I left."

"Some of them came to good." If Sasuke hadn't spent a year on-campus in college, he never would have been roommates with Shikamaru and become friends with the lazy genius. If Itachi hadn't continued to send off Sasuke's first manuscript, he would have given up on it himself - and thus would never have become a bestselling author. And if Itachi had never left, Sasuke might not have gotten the idea for his second novel and quit before he really even got started on his writing career.

"I'm glad," Itachi said honestly. "I've wanted to reconcile for _years_, Sasuke, but I was never really sure how to go about doing it. For some reason, seeing you this year - coming home and making an attempt to talk things out and resolve them - seemed more important than ever. It's been eleven years today since they died, and with all the traveling Temari and I do..." He shook his head. "Life is short. I would never want to leave this world without telling you at least one more time that I love you, little brother, and I'm sorry for everything that's gone on between us."

"Hopefully a lot more than just one more time," Sasuke said, with a slight smile.

Itachi inclined his head agreeably. "A _lot_ more."

"You know, you've always been braver than me." At Itachi's questioning look, Sasuke hurried to clarify. "I wondered how you could possibly get on a plane _once_, let alone multiple times, after what happened. And yet you did, and do. I don't think I could ever do that."

"I'm not as brave as you think I am." Itachi sighed. "My palms still get slick and my heart pounds every time I board a plane. And even though Temari humors me and we always fly commercial instead of via a private jet, I never really breathe easily until the tires kiss the pavement at the end of the flight. I know Temari and Karura love flying, but me?" He shook his head. "It's a necessary part of my job, and Temari's. But I'll never love it, or even _like_ it, the way they do. I'd much rather keep my feet on _terra firma_ every day of the week, thank you."

Sasuke briefly wondered if her husband's dislike (read: fear) of flying was another reason Temari quit, since they wouldn't have to travel nearly so often that way. But he kept the question to himself and asked another instead. "Could I ask you something else?"

"We're being honest with each other, so I don't see why not." Itachi took a drink from the glass of lemonade perched on a coaster on the table next to his chair. "If I don't like it - I guess I just won't answer." The smile on his face made it clear he was joking. It was good to see his brother happy - good to see his brother_ period_, considering the long silence between them.

That, Sasuke felt sure, would change from here on out. Considerably. "I think I'm _finally_ ready to know. I told you I didn't want you to tell me eleven years ago, but now I'm asking: where was my seventeenth birthday trip going to be?"

Itachi sat silently for a long time, eyeing Sasuke as if to gauge whether or not his younger brother was truly ready to hear the answer. Though he wanted to nag, Sasuke sat silently allowing the elder his scrutiny, knowing he was ready and wanting Itachi to see it, too.

At last, Itachi turned slightly in his seat and glanced up at their father's katana. "Japan, the country of our ancestors."

Sasuke's breath left his lungs in a long _whoosh_. That had been one of the places he'd suspected when his parents first hinted at the trip. As a child, Sasuke had spent hours listening to his mother's stories of their family's illustrious history as retainers and guards to the emperor and his family in generations past. They had many mementoes from those times, including several gifts given in honor of acts of bravery or faithful service. He still went upstairs every now and then to sort through them, his mother's voice whispering the old stories in his ears as he remembered.

Itachi sighed. "Mom was really excited. She always treasured the time with you, talking about all the old stories from our family's past. And she always thought of you as her brave little warrior, when you would come downstairs and re-enact some of them, playacting as one of our samurai ancestors. She was the one who suggested the trip and talked Father into it."

Even as a child, Sasuke always realized his father wasn't as interested in their family's Japanese roots as his mother. He'd always wondered why, but never got up the courage to ask. Even now, for some reason, he didn't really want to know. Perhaps someday he'd ask that question, too, and see if Itachi had the answer. But for now... "It's the one place on Earth I've _always_ wanted to go, for as long as I can remember. I've thought about actually going, a couple of times. Even gotten so far as to go onto a website and almost book a flight. But I _always_ chicken out before I confirm a seat." No matter how much he wanted to go to the land of his brave ancestors, he _didn't_ want to have to get on a plane to get there more.

"You should go," Itachi said firmly. "Temari played in tournaments there before she retired, and it is beautiful. We were able to go on several tours, and to walk where our ancestors might have..." He closed his eyes and shook his head. "It was an incredible experience."

Jealousy stirred when he found out his brother had been where he wanted to go so badly. But as Itachi might have intended, determination rooted it out. "I will go someday," he vowed. "Definitely not today, and probably not next week, either. But I _will_ go."

Itachi opened his eyes and smiled. "Good."

For a while the brothers sat in silence, content to be in each other's presence as they pursued their own lines of thought. Eventually Temari came downstairs and settled on the arm of her husband's chair, a smile blooming on her lips as she looked from one relaxed brother to the other. When she caught Sasuke looking at her, she winked, a smug _I told you so_ expression on her face.

After smiling besottedly up at his wife, Itachi turned his attention back to Sasuke. A slow, almost wicked smile curled up his lips, and he asked, "So, little brother, is there any hope of any nieces or nephews on the horizonfor _us_?"

Sasuke grabbed the pillow from behind him and threw it at his brother, but inside, warmth filled him. It was nice to know his brother cared.

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ Three updates for three stories three days in a row. _Wow_! But this chapter had some things I've been excited to get out there for a while, and next chapter Sasuke and Hinata finally come face-to-face again. But a lot of the rest of the story wouldn't make sense if what's been there the past few hadn't been there, but from here on out there'll be a _lot_ more SasuHina interaction! Thank you all so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I wish you a very safe and happy Christmas, and I hope to see you all again for next Friday's update!


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